THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


PRESENTED  BY 

Elizabeth  Preston  Ward 

in  memory  of 
Jean  Versfelt  Preston 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 

00025764655 


CdU   v^     I,    ^i^J^ 


*^y^L 


?7^J,  /?// 


This  book  is  due  at  the  on 

the  last  date  stamped  under  "Date  Due."  If  not  on  hold,  it  may 
be  renewed  by  bringing  it  to  the  library. 


DATE 
DUE 


DATE 
DUE 


ENDOWED  BY  THE 

DIALECTIC  AND  PHILANTHROPIC 

SOCIETIES 


Our   Little   German   Cousin 


THE 

Little   Cousin    Series 

(trade  mark) 

Each  volume  illustrated  with  six  or  more  full-page  plate3  in 

tint.     Cloth,  i2mo,  with  decorative  cover, 

per  volume,  60  cents 

LIST   OF   TITLES 

By  Mary  Hazelton  Wade 

(unless  otherwise  indicated) 

Our  Little  Indian  Cousin 
Our  Little  Irish  Cousin 
Our  Little  Italian  Cousin 


Our  Little  African  Cousin 
Our  Little  Alaskan  Cousin 

By  Mary  F.  Nixon -Roulet 

Our  Little  Arabian  Cousin 

By  Blanche  McManus 

Our  Little  Armenian  Cousin 
Our  Little  Brazilian  Cousin 

By  Mary  F.  Nixon-Roulet 
Our  Little  Brown  Cousin 
Our  Little  Canadian  Cousin 

By  Elizabeth  R.  Macdonald 

Our  Little  Chinese  Cousin 

By  Isaac  Taylor  Headland 

Our  Little  Cuban  Cousin 

Our  Little  Dutch  Cousin 

By  Blanche  McManus 

Our  Little  English  Cousin 

By  Blanche  McManus 

Our  Little  Eskimo  Cousin 

Our  Little  French  Cousin 

By  Blanche  McManus 

Our  Little  German  Cousin 
Our  Little  Hawaiian  Cousin 
Our  Little  Hindu  Cousin 


Our  Little  Japanese  Cousin 
Our  Little  Jewish  Cousin 
Our  Little  Korean  Cousin 

By  H.  Lee  M.  Pike 

Our  Little  Mexican  Cousin 

By  Edward  C.  Butler 

Our  Little  Norwegian  Cousin 
Our  Little  Panama  Cousin 

By  H.  Lee  M.  Pike 

Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 
Our  Little  Porto  Rican  Cousin 
Our  Little  Russian  Cousin 
Our  Little  Scotch  Cousin 

By  Blanche  McManus 

Our  Little  Siamese  Cousin 
Our  Little  Spanish  Cousin 

By  Mary  F.  Nixon-Roulet 

Our  Little  Swedish  Cousin 

By  Claire  M.  Coburn 

Our  Little  Swiss  Cousin 
Our  Little  Turkish  Cousin 


By  Blanche  McManus 

(In  Preparation) 
Our  Little  Australian  Cousin 

L.  C  PAGE  &  COMPANY 

New  England  Building,  Boston,  Mass. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hil 


http://archive.org/details/ourlittlegermancOOwade 


*  * 

*  Our  Little  German  * 

I  Cousin  I 

*  * 

* * 

*  B?  * 

4*  Mary   Hazelton  Wade  4* 

*  * 
* * 

*  4 

•j,        •  Illustrated  by  ^± 

•^  L.  J.   Bridgman  ^ 


Boston  *T 

L.  C.  Page  df  Company  JT 

publishers  ^ 


Copyright,  igof 
By  L.  C.  Page  &  Company 

(incorporated) 


All  rights  reserved 


THE   LITTLE   COUSIN   SERIES 
{Trade  Mark) 


Published  June,  1904 
Fifth   Impression,   October,    1907 


Colonial  T^xttt 

Electrotyped  and  Printed  by  C.  H.  Simonds  &  Co. 

Boston,  Mass.,  U.  S.  A. 


Preface 

When   the  word  Germany   comes    to    our 
minds,   we    think   at   once   of  ruined  castles, 
fairies,  music,  and  soldiers.     Why  is  it? 

First,  as  to  the  castles.  Here  and  there 
along  the  banks  of  the  River  Rhine,  as  well 
as  elsewhere  throughout  the  country,  the  trav- 
eller is  constantly  finding  himself  near  some 
massive  stone  ruin.  It  seems  ever  ready  to 
tell  stories  of  long  ago,  —  of  brave  knights 
who  defended  its  walls,  of  beautiful  princesses 
saved  from  harm,  of  sturdy  boys  and  sweet- 
faced  girls  who  once  played  in  its  gardens. 
For  Germany  is  the  home  of  an  ancient  and 
brave  people,  who  have  often  been  called 
upon  to  face  powerful  enemies. 

Next,  as  to  the  fairies.  It  seems  as  though 
the  dark  forests  of  Germany,  the  quiet  valleys, 


vi  Preface 

and  the  banks  of  the  beautiful  rivers,  were  the 
natural  homes  of  the  fairy-folk,  the  gnomes 
and  the  elves,  the  water-sprites  and  the  sylphs. 
Our  German  cousins  listen  with  wonder  and 
delight  to  the  legends  of  fearful  giants  and 
enchanted  castles,  and  many  of  the  stories  they 
know  so  well  have  been  translated  into  other 
languages  for  their  cousins  of  distant  lands, 
who  are  as  fond  of  them  as  the  blue-eyed 
children  of  Germany. 

As  to  the  music,  it  seems  as  though  every 
boy  and  girl  in  the  whole  country  drew  in  the 
spirit  of  song  with  the  air  they  breathe.  They 
sing  with  a  love  of  what  they  are  singing,  they 
play  as  though  the  tune  were  a  part  of  their 
very  selves.  Some  of  the  finest  musicians 
have  been  Germans,  and  their  gifts  to  the 
world  have  been  bountiful. 

As  for  soldiers,  we  know  that  every  man  in 
Germany  must  stand  ready  to  defend  his  coun- 
try.    He  must  serve  his  time  in  drilling  and 


Preface  vii 

training  for  war.     He  is  a  necessary  part  of 
that  Fatherland  he  loves  so  dearly. 

Our  fair-haired  German  cousins  are  busy 
workers  and  hard  students.  They  must  learn 
quite  early  in  life  that  they  have  duties  as  well 
as  pleasures,  and  the  duties  cannot  be  set  aside 
or  forgotten.  But  they  love  games  and  holi- 
days as  dearly  as  the  children  of  our  own 
land. 


Contents 

CHAPTER 
I. 

Christmas    . 

PAGE 
1 

II. 

Toy -Making 

IO 

III. 

The  Wicked  Bishop  . 

23 

IV. 

The  Coffee -Party    . 

40 

V. 

The  Beautiful  Castle     . 

48 

VI. 

The  Great  Frederick 

60 

VII. 

The  Brave  Princess 

71 

VIII. 

What  the  Waves  Bring 

83 

IX. 

The  Magic  Sword     . 

.       94 

List    of  Illustrations 


Bertha     

Bertha's  Father  and  Mother   . 
The  Rats'  Tower 
Courtyard  of  Heidelberg  Castle 
Statue  of  Frederick  the  Great 
Bertha's  Home       .... 


Frontispiece 
1 1 
28 


52 
63 
83 


Our  Little  German  Cousin 


CHAPTER   I. 


CHRISTMAS 


"  Don't  look  !  There,  now  it's  done  !  " 
cried  Bertha. 

It  was  two  nights  before  Christmas.  Bertha 
was  in  the  big  living-room  with  her  mother 
and  older  sister.  Each  sat  as  close  as  possible 
to  the  candle-light,  and  was  busily  working  on 
something  in  her  lap. 

But,  strange  to  say,  they  did  not  face  each 
other.     They  were  sitting  back  to  back. 

"  What  an  unsociable  way  to  work,"  we 
think.  "  Is  that  the  way  Germans  spend  the 
evenings  together  ? " 


2        Our  Little  German  Cousin 

No,  indeed.  But  Christmas  was  near  at 
hand,  and  the  air  was  brimful  of  secrets. 

Bertha  would  not  let  her  mother  discover 
what  she  was  working  for  her,  for  all  the 
world.  And  the  little  girl's  mother  was  pre- 
paring surprises  for  each  of  the  children.  All 
together,  the  greatest  fun  of  the  year  was  get- 
ting ready  for  Christmas. 

"  Mother,  you  will  make  some  of  those 
lovely  cakes  this  year,  won't  you  ? "  asked 
Bertha's  sister  Gretchen. 

"  Certainly,  my  child.  It  would  not  be 
Christmas  without  them.  Early  to-morrow 
morning,  you  and  Bertha  must  shell  and  chop 
the  nuts.  I  will  use  the  freshest  eggs  and  will 
beat  the  dough  as  long  as  my  arms  will  let 
me. 

"  Did  you  always  know  how  to  make  those 
cakes,  mamma  ?  "  asked  Bertha. 

"  My  good  mother  taught  me  when  I  was 
about  your  age,  my  dear.     You  may  watch  me 


Christmas  3 

to-morrow,  and  perhaps  you  will  learn  how  to 
make  them.  It  is  never  too  early  to  begin 
to  learn  to  cook." 

"  When  the  city  girls  get  through  school, 
they  go  away  from  home  and  study  house- 
keeping, don't  they  ?  "  asked  Gretchen. 

"  Yes,  and  many  girls  who  don't  live  in 
cities.  But  I  hardly  think  you  will  ever  be 
sent  away.  We  are  busy  people  here  in  our 
little  village,  and  you  will  have  to  be  contented 

with    learning   what   your    mother   can    teach 

»> 

you. 

"  I  shall  be  satisfied  with  that,  I  know. 
But  listen !  I  can  hear  father  and  Hans 
coming." 

"  Then  put  up  your  work,  children,  and  set 
the  supper-table." 

The  girls  jumped  up  and  hurriedly  put  the 
presents  away.  It  did  not  take  long  to  set  the 
supper-table,  for  the  meals  in  this  little  home 
were  very  simple,  and  supper  was  the  simplest 


4        Our  Little  German  Cousin 

of  all.  A  large  plate  of  black  bread  and  a 
pitcher  of  sour  milk  were  brought  by  the 
mother,  and  the  family  gathered  around  the 
table. 

The  bread  wasn't  really  black,  of  course. 
It  was  dark  brown  and  very  coarse.  It  was 
made  of  rye  meal.  Bertha  and  Gretchen  had 
never  seen  any  white  bread  in  their  lives,  for 
they  had  never  yet  been  far  away  from  their 
own  little  village.  Neither  had  their  brother 
Hans. 

They  were  happy,  healthy  children.  They 
all  had  blue  eyes,  rosy  cheeks,  and  fair  hair, 
like  their  father  and  mother. 

"You  don't  know  what  I've  got  for  you, 
Hans,"  said  Bertha,  laughing  and  showing  a 
sweet  little  dimple  in  her  chin. 

Hans  bent  down  and  kissed  her.  He  never 
could  resist  that  dimple,  and  Bertha  was  his 
favourite  sister. 

"  I  don't  know  what  it  is,  but  I  do  know 


Christmas  5 

that  it  must  be  something  nice,"  said  her 
brother. 

When  the  supper-table  had  been  cleared, 
the  mother  and  girls  took  out  their  sewing 
again,  while  Hans  worked  at  some  wood- 
carving.  The  father  took  an  old  violin  from 
its  case  and  began  to  play  some  of  the  beauti- 
ful airs  of  Germany. 

When  he  came  to  the  "  Watch  on  the 
Rhine,"  the  mother's  work  dropped  from  her 
hands  as  she  and  the  children  joined  in  the 
song  that  stirs   every  German  heart. 

"  Oh,  dear !  it  seems  as  though  Christmas 
Eve  never  would  come,"  sighed  Bertha,  as  she 
settled  herself  for  sleep  beside  her  sister. 

It  was  quite  a  cold  night,  but  they  were 
cosy  and  warm.  Why  shouldn't  they  be  ? 
They  were  covered  with  a  down  feather  bed. 
Their  mother  had  the  same  kind  of  cover  on 
her  own  bed,  and  so  had  Hans. 

But    Christmas     Eve    did    come    at     last, 


6        Our  Little  German  Cousin 

although  it  seemed  so  far  off  to  Bertha  the 
night  before.  Hans  and  his  father  brought  in 
the  bough  of  a  yew-tree,  and  it  was  set  up 
in  the  living-room. 

The  decorating  came  next.  Tiny  candles 
were  fastened  on  all  the  twigs.  Sweetmeats 
and  nuts  were  hung  from  the  branches. 

"  How  beautiful !  How  beautiful  !  "  ex- 
claimed the  children  when  it  was  all  trimmed, 
and  they  walked  around  it  with  admiring  eyes. 

None  of  the  presents  were  placed  on  the 
tree,  for  that  is  not  the  fashion  in  Germany. 
Each  little  gift  had  been  tied  up  in  paper  and 
marked  with  the  name  of  the  one  for  whom  it 
was  intended. 

When  everything  was  ready,  there  was  a 
moment  of  quiet  while  the  candles  were  being 
lighted.  Then  Bertha's  father  began  to  give 
out  the  presents,  and  there  was  a  great  deal  of 
laughing  and  joking  as  the  bundles  were 
opened. 


Christmas  7 

There  was  a  new  red  skirt  for  Bertha.  Her 
mother  had  made  it,  for  she  knew  the  child 
was  fond  of  pretty  dresses.  Besides  this,  she 
had  a  pair  of  warm  woollen  mittens  which 
Gretchen  had  knit  for  her.  Hans  had  made 
and  carved  a  doll's  cradle  for  each  of  the  girls. 

Everybody  was  happy  and  contented.  They 
sang  songs  and  cracked  nuts  and  ate  the  Christ- 
mas cakes  to  their  hearts'  content. 

"  I  think  I  like  the  ones  shaped  like  gnomes 
the  best,"  said  Hans.  "  They  have  such  com- 
ical little  faces.  Do  you  know,  every  time 
I  go  out  in  the  forest,  it  seems  as  though  I 
might  meet  a  party  of  gnomes  hunting  for 
gold." 

"  I  like  the  animal  cakes  best,"  said  Bertha. 
"  The  deer  are  such  graceful  creatures,  and  I 
like  to  bite  off  the  horns  and  legs,  one  at  a 
time." 

"  A  long  time  ago,"  said  their  father,  "  they 
used  to   celebrate   Christmas  a  little   different 


8        Our  Little  German  Cousin 

from  the  way  we  now  do.  The  presents  were 
all  carried  to  a  man  in  the  village  who  dressed 
himself  in  a  white  robe,  and  a  big  wig  made  of 
flax.  He  covered  his  face  with  a  mask,  and 
then  went  from  house  to  house.  The  grown 
people  received  him  with  great  honours.  He 
called  for  the  children  and  gave  them  the 
presents    their    parents    had    brought   to  him. 

"  But  these  presents  were  all  given  accord- 
ing to  the  way  the  children  had  behaved 
during  the  year.  If  they  had  been  good  and 
tried  hard,  they  had  the  gifts  they  deserved. 
But  if  they  had  been  naughty  and  disobedi- 
ent, it  was  not  a   happy  time  for  them." 

"  I  don't  believe  the  children  were  very  fond 
of  him,"  cried  Hans.  "  They  must  have  been 
too  much  afraid  of  him." 

"  That  is  true,"  said  his  father.  "  But  now, 
let  us  play  some  games.  Christmas  comes  but 
once  a  year,  and  you  have  all  been  good 
children." 


Christmas  9 

The  room  soon  rang  with  the  shouts  of 
Hans  and  his  sisters.  They  played  "  Blind 
Man's  Buff"  and  other  games.  Their  father 
took  part  in  all  of  them  as  though  he  were  a 
boy  again.  The  good  mother  looked  on  with 
pleasant  smiles. 

Bedtime  came  only  too  soon.  But  just  be- 
fore the  children  said  good  night,  the  father  took 
Hans  one  side  and  talked  seriously  yet  lovingly 
with  him.  He  told  the  boy  of  the  faults  he 
must  still  fight  against.  He  spoke  also  of  the 
improvement  he  had  made  during  the  year. 

At  the  same  time  the  mother  gave  words  of 
kind  advice  to  her  little  daughters.  She  told 
them  to  keep  up  good  courage  ;  to  be  busy 
and  patient   in   the   year   to   come. 

"  My  dear  little  girls,"  she  whispered,  as 
she  kissed  them,  "  I  love  to  see  you  happy 
in  your  play.  But  the  good  Lord  who  cares 
for  us  has  given  us  all  some  work  to  do  in 
this  world.     Be  faithful  in  doing  yours." 


CHAPTER  II, 


TOY -MAKING 


"  Wake  up,  Bertha.  Come,  Gretchen.  You 
will  have  to  hurry,  for  it  is  quite  late,"  called 
their  mother.  It  was  one  morning  about  a 
week  after  Christmas. 

"  Oh  dear,  I  am  so  sleepy,  and  my  bed  is 
nice  and  warm,"  thought  Bertha. 

But  she  jumped  up  and  rubbed  her  eyes 
and  began  to  dress,  without  waiting  to  be 
called  a  second  time.  Her  mother  was  kind 
and  loving,  but  she  had  taught  her  children 
to  obey  without  a  question. 

Both  little  girls  had  long,  thick  hair.  It 
must  be  combed  and  brushed  and  braided 
with  great  care.  Each  one  helped  the  other. 
They  were  soon  dressed,  and  ran  down-stairs. 


bertha's  father  and  mother. 


Toy  -  making  1 1 

As  soon  as  the  breakfast  was  over  and  the 
room  made  tidy,  every  one  in  the  family  sat 
down  to  work.  Bertha's  father  was  a  toy- 
maker.  He  had  made  wooden  images  of 
Santa  Claus  all  his  life.  His  wife  and  chil- 
dren  helped   him. 

When  Bertha  was  only  five  years  old,  she 
began  to  carve  the  legs  of  these  Santa  Claus 
dolls.  It  was  a  queer  sight  to  see  the  little 
girl's  chubby  fingers  at  their  work.  Now  that 
she  was  nine  years  old,  she  still  carved  legs  for 
Santa  Claus  in  her  spare  moments. 

Gretchen  always  made  arms,  while  Hans 
worked  on  a  still  different  part  of  the  bodies. 
The  father  and  mother  carved  the  heads  and 
finished  the  little  images  that  afterward  gave 
such  delight  to  children  in  other  lands. 

Bertha  lives  in  the  Black  Forest.  That 
name  makes  you  think  at  once  of  a  dark  and 
gloomy  place.  The  woods  on  the  hills  are 
dark,    to    be    sure,    but    the    valleys    nestling 


12      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

between  are  bright  and  cheerful  when  the  sun 
shines  down  and  pours  its  light  upon  them. 

Bertha's  village  is  in  just  such  a  valley.  The 
church  stands  on  the  slope  above  the  little 
homes.  It  seems  to  say,  "  Look  upward,  my 
children,  to  the  blue  heavens,  and  do  not  fear, 
even  when  the  mists  fill  the  valley  and  the 
storm  is  raging  over  your  heads." 

All  the  people  in  the  village  seem  happy 
and  contented.  They  work  hard,  and  their 
pay  is  small,  but  there  are  no  beggars  among 
them. 

Toys  are  made  in  almost  every  house. 
Every  one  in  a  family  works  on  the  same  kind 
of  toy,  just  as  it  is  in  Bertha's  home. 

The  people  think  :  "  It  would  be  foolish  to 
spend  one's  time  in  learning  new  things.  The 
longer  a  person  works  at  making  one  kind  of 
toy,  the  faster  he  can  make  them,  and  he  can 
earn  more  money." 

One  of  Bertha's  neighbours  makes  nothing 


Toy -making  13 

but  Noah's  Arks.  Another  makes  toy  tables, 
and  still  another  dolls'  chairs. 

Bertha  often  visits  a  little  friend  who  helps 
her  father  make  cuckoo-clocks.  Did  you  ever 
see  one  of  these  curious  clocks  ?  As  each 
hour  comes  around,  a  little  bird  comes  outside 
the  case.  Then  it  flaps  its  wings  and  sings 
"  cuckoo  "  in  a  soft,  sweet  voice  as  many  times 
as  there  are  strokes  to  the  hour.  It  is  great 
fun  to  watch  for  the  little  bird  and  hear  its 
soft  notes. 

Perhaps  you  wonder  what  makes  the  bird 
come  out  at  just  the  right  time.  It  is  done  by 
certain  machinery  inside  the  clock.  But,  how- 
ever it  is,  old  people  as  well  as  children  seem 
to  enjoy  the  cuckoo-clocks  of  Germany. 

"  Some  day,  when  you  are  older,  you  shall 
go  to  the  fair  at  Easter  time,"  Bertha's  father 
has  promised  her. 

"Is  that  at  Leipsic,  where  our  Santa  Claus 
images  go  ?  "  asked  his  little  daughter. 


14      Our  Little   German  Cousin 

"Yes,  my  dear,  and  toys  from  many  other 
parts  of  our  country.  There  you  will  see 
music-boxes  and  dolls'  pianos  and  carts  and 
trumpets  and  engines  and  ships.  These  all 
come  from  the  mining-towns. 

"  But  I  know  what  my  little  Bertha  would 
care  for  most.  She  would  best  like  to  see 
the  beautiful  wax  dolls  that  come  from  Son- 
neberg." 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  cried  Bertha.  "  The  dear, 
lovely  dollies  with  yellow  hair  like  mine.  I 
would  love  every  one  of  them.  I  wish 
I  could  go  to  Sonneberg  just  to  see  the 
dolls." 

"  I  wonder  what  makes  the  wax  stick  on," 
said  Gretchen,  who  came  into  the  room  while 
her  father  and  Bertha  were  talking. 

"  After  the  heads  have  been  moulded  into 
shape,  they  are  dipped  into  pans  of  boiling 
wax,"  her  father  told  her.  "  The  cheap 
dolls  are  dipped  only  once,  but  the  expensive 


Toy -making  15 

les  have  several  baths  before  they  are 
finished.  The  more  wax  that  is  put  on,  the 
handsomer  the  dolls  are. 

"  Then  comes  the  painting.  One  girl  does 
nothing  but  paint  the  lips.  Another  one  does 
the  cheeks.  Still  another,  the  eyebrows.  Even 
then  Miss  Dolly  looks  like  a  bald-headed 
baby  till  her  wig  is  fastened  in  its  place." 

"  I  like  the  yellow  hair  best,"  said  Bertha. 
"  But  it  isn't  real,  is  it,  papa  ? " 

"  I  suppose  you  mean  to  ask,  c  Did  it 
ever  grow  on  people's  heads  ? '  my  dear.  No. 
It  is  the  wool  of  a  kind  of  goat.  But  the 
black  hair  is  real  hair.  Most  dolls,  however, 
wear  light  wigs.  People  usually  prefer 
them." 

"  Do  little  girls  in  Sonneberg  help  make  the 
dolls,  just  as  Bertha  and  I  help  you  on  the 
Santa  Claus  images  ?  "  asked  Gretchen. 

"  Certainly.  They  fill  the  bodies  with  saw- 
dust, and  do  other  easy  things.     But  they  go 


1 6      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

to  school,  too,  just  as  you  and  Bertha  do. 
Lessons  must  not  be  slighted." 

"  If  I  had  to  help  make  dolls,  just  as  I  do 
these  images,"  said  Gretchen  to  her  sister  as 
their  father  went  out  and  left  the  children 
together,  "  I  don't  believe  I'd  care  for  the 
handsomest  one  in  the  whole  toy  fair.  I'd  be 
sick  of  the  very  sight  of  them." 

"  Look  at  the  time,  Bertha.  See,  we  must 
stop  our  work  and  start  for  school,"  exclaimed 
Gretchen. 

It  was  only  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
but  school  would  begin  in  half  an  hour. 
These  little  German  girls  had  to  study  longer 
and  harder  than  their  American  cousins. 
They  spent  at  least  an  hour  a  day  more  in 
their  schoolrooms 

As  they  trudged  along  the  road,  they  passed 
a  little  stream  which  came  trickling  down  the 
hillside. 

"  I  wonder  if  there  is  any  story  about  that 


Toy  -  making  1 7 

brook,"  said  Bertha.  "  There's  a  story  about 
almost  everything  in  our  dear  old  country,  I'm 
sure." 

"  You  have  heard  father  tell  about  the 
stream  flowing  down  the  side  of  the  Kandel, 
haven't  you  ?  "  asked  Gretchen. 

"Yes,  I  think  so.  But  I  don't  remember 
it  very  well.     What  is  the  story,  Gretchen  ?  " 

"  You  know  the  Kandel  is  one  of  the  high- 
est peaks  in  the  Black  Forest.  You've  seen 
it,  Bertha." 

"Yes,  of  course,  but  tell  the  story, 
Gretchen." 

"  Well,  then,  once  upon  a  time  there  was 
a  poor  little  boy  who  had  no  father  or 
mother.  He  had  to  tend  cattle  on  the  side 
of  the  Kandel.  At  that  time  there  was  a 
deep  lake  at  the  summit  of  the  mountain. 
But  the  lake  had  no  outlet. 

"  The  people  who  lived  in  the  valley  below 
often  said,  '  Dear  me !  how  glad  we  should  be 


1 8      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

if  we  could  only  have  plenty  of  fresh  water. 
But  no  stream  flows  near  us.  If  we  could  only 
bring  some  of  the  water  down  from  the  lake  ! " 

"  They  were  afraid,  however,  to  make  a 
channel  out  of  the  lake.  The  water  might 
rush  down  with  such  force  as  to  destroy  their 
village.      They  feared  to  disturb  it. 

"  Now,  it  came  to  pass  that  the  Evil  One 
had  it  in  his  heart  to  destroy  these  people. 
He  thought  he  could  do  it  very  easily  if  the 
rocky  wall  on  the  side  of  the  lake  could  be 
broken  down.  There  was  only  one  way  in 
which  this  could  be  done.  An  innocent  boy 
must  be  found  and  got  to  do  it. 

"It  was  a  long  time  before  such  an  one 
could  be  found.  But  at  last  the  Evil  One 
came  across  an  orphan  boy  who  tended  cattle 
on  the  mountainside.  The  poor  little  fellow 
was  on  his  way  home.  He  was  feeling  very 
sad,  for  he  was  thinking  of  his  ragged  clothes 
and  his  scant  food. 


Toy -making  19 

" c  Ah  ha  I '  cried  the  Evil  One  to  himself, 
*  here  is  the  very  boy.' 

"  He  changed  himself  at  once  so  he  had  the 
form  and  dress  of  a  hunter,  and  stepped  up  to 
the  lad  with  a  pleasant  smile. 

" '  Poor  little  fellow  !  What  is  the  matter  ? 
And  what  can  I  do  for  you  ? '  he  said,  in  his 
most  winning   manner. 

"The  boy  thought  he  had  found  a  friend, 
and  told  his  story. 

" '  Do  not  grieve  any  longer.  There  is 
plenty  of  gold  and  silver  in  these  very  moun- 
tains. I  will  show  you  how  to  become  rich,' 
said  the  Evil  One.  c  Meet  me  here  early 
to-morrow  morning  and  bring  a  good  strong 
team  with  you.     I  will  help  you  get  the  gold.' 

"  The  boy  went  home  with  a  glad  heart. 
You  may  be  sure  he  did  not  oversleep  the 
next  morning.  Before  it  was  light,  he  had 
harnessed  four  oxen  belonging  to  his  master, 
and  started  for  the  summit  of  the  mountain. 


20      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

"  The  hunter,  who  was  waiting  for  him,  had 
already  fastened  a  metal  ring  around  the  wall 
that  held   in   the  waters    of  the   lake. 

"  '  Fasten  the  oxen  to  that  ring,'  commanded 
the  hunter,  '  and  the  rock  will  split  open.' 

"  Somehow  or  other,  the  boy  did  not  feel 
pleased  at  what  he  was  told  to  do.  Yet  he 
obeyed,  and  started  the  oxen.  But  as  he  did 
so,  he  cried,  *  Do  this  in  the  name  of 
God!' 

"  At  that  very  instant  the  sky  grew  black  as 
night,  the  thunder  rolled  and  the  lightning 
flashed.  And  not  only  this,  for  at  the  same 
time  the  mountain  shook  and  rumbled  as 
though  a  mighty  force  were  tearing  it  apart." 

"  What  became  of  the  poor  boy  ? "  asked 
Bertha. 

"  He  fell  senseless  to  the  ground,  while  the 
oxen  in  their  fright  rushed  headlong  down  the 
mountainside.  But  you  needn't  get  excited, 
Bertha,  no   harm    was    done.     The    boy    was 


Toy -making  21 

saved  as  well  as  the  village,  because  he  had 
pulled  in   the  name  of  God. 

"  The  rock  did  not  split  entirely.  It  broke 
apart  just  enough  to  let  out  a  tiny  stream  of 
water,  which  began  to  flow  down  the  mountain- 
side. 

"  When  the  boy  came  to  his  senses,  the  sky 
was  clear  and  beautiful  once  more.  The  sun 
was  shining  brightly,  and  the  hunter  was  no- 
where to  be  seen.  But  the  stream  of  water 
was  running  down  the  mountainside. 

"  A  few  minutes  afterward,  the  boy's  master 
came  hurrying  up  the  slope.  He  was  frightened 
by  the  dreadful  sounds  he  had  heard.  But  when 
he  saw  the  waterfall,  he  was  filled  with  delight. 

" c  Every  one  in  the  village  will  rejoice,'  he 
exclaimed,  t  for  now  we  shall  never  want  for 
water.' 

"  Then  the  little  boy  took  courage  and  told 
the  story  of  his  meeting  the  hunter  and  what 
he  had  done. 


22      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

" '  It  is  well  you  did  it  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord/  cried  his  master.  c  If  you  had  not,  our 
village  would  have  been  destroyed,  and  every 
one  of  us  would  have  been  drowned.' ' 

"  See !  the  children  are  going  into  the 
schoolhouse,  Gretchen.  We  must  not  be 
late.      Let's  run,"  said  Bertha. 

The  two  little  girls  stopped  talking,  and 
hurried  so  fast  that  they  entered  the  school- 
house  and  were  sitting  in  their  seats  in  good 
order  before  the  schoolmaster  struck  his  bell. 


CHAPTER   III. 


THE    WICKED    BISHOP 


"  The  Rhine  is  the  loveliest  river  in  the 
world.     I   know  it  must  be,"  said  Bertha. 

"  Of  course  it  is,"  answered  her  brother. 
"  I've  seen  it,  and  I  ought  to  know.  And 
father  thinks  so,  too.  He  says  it  is  not  only 
beautiful,  but  it  is  also  bound  into  the  whole 
history  of  our  country.  Think  of  the  battles 
that  have  been  fought  on  its  shores,  and  the 
great  generals  who   have  crossed  it !  " 

"  Yes,   and   the   castles,    Hans !     Think   of 

the  legends   father  and   mother   have  told   us 

about  the  beautiful  princesses   who  have  lived 

in  the  castles,  and  the  brave  knights  who  have 

fought  for  them  !     I  shall  be  perfectly  happy 

if  I  can  ever  sail  down  the  Rhine  and  see  the 

noted  places  on  its  shores." 
23 


24      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

"The  schoolmaster  has  taught  you  all  about 
the  war  with  France,  hasn't  he,  Bertha  ? " 

"  Of  course.  And  it  really  seemed  at  one 
time  as  if  France  would  make  us  Germans 
agree  to  have  the  Rhine  divide  the  two  coun- 
tries. Just  as  if  we  would  be  willing  to  let 
the  French  own  one  shore  of  our  beautiful 
river.     I   should  say   not !  " 

Bertha's  cheeks  grew  rosier  than  usual  at 
the  thought  of  such  a  thing.  She  talked  faster 
than  German  children  usually  do,  for  they  are 
rather  slow  in  their  speech. 

"  We  do  not  own  all  of  the  river,  little 
sister,  as  it  is.  The  baby  Rhine  sleeps  in 
an  icy  cradle  in  the  mountains  of  Switzerland. 
Then  it  makes  its  way  through  our  country, 
but  before  it  reaches  the  sea  it  flows  through 
the  low  lands  of  Holland." 

"  I  know  all  that,  Hans.  But  we  own  the 
best  of  the  Rhine,  anyway.  I  am  perfectly 
satisfied." 


The  Wicked  Bishop  25 

"  I  wish  I  knew  all  the  legends  about  the 
river.  There  are  enough  of  them  to  fill  many 
books.  Did  you  ever  hear  about  the  Rats' 
Tower  opposite  the  town  of  Bingen,  Bertha  ?  " 

"  What  a  funny  name  for  a  tower !  No. 
Is  there  a  story  about  it,  Hans  ? " 

"  Yes,  one  of  the  boys  was  telling  it  to 
me  yesterday  while  we  were  getting  wood 
in  the  forest.  It  is  a  good  story,  although 
my  friend  said  he  wasn't  sure  it  is  true." 

"  What  is  the  story  ?  " 

"It  is  about  a  very  wicked  bishop  who  was 
a  miser.  It  happened  one  time  that  the 
harvests  were  poor  and  grain  was  scarce.  The 
cruel  bishop  bought  all  the  grain  he  could 
get  and  locked  it  up.  He  intended  to  sell  it 
for  a  high  price,  and  in  this  way  to  become 
very  rich. 

"  As  the  days  went  by,  the  food  became 
scarcer  and  scarcer.  The  people  began  to 
sicken  and  die  of  hunger.     They  had  but  one 


26      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

thought :  they  must  get  something  to  eat  for 
their  children  and  themselves. 

"  They  knew  of  the  stores  of  grain  held  by 
the  bishop.  They  went  to  him  and  begged 
for  some  of  it,  but  he  paid  no  attention  to 
their  prayers.  Then  they  demanded  that  he 
open  the  doors  of  the  storehouse  and  let  them 
have  the  grain.      It  was  of  no  use. 

"At  last,  they  gathered  together,  and 
said : 

" '  We  will  break  down  the  door  if  you 
do  not  give  it  to  us.' 

"  *  Come  to-morrow,'  answered  the  bishop. 
'  Bring  your  friends  with  you.  You  shall  have 
all  the  grain  you  desire.' 

"  The  morrow  came.  Crowds  gathered  in 
front  of  the  granary.  The  bishop  unlocked 
the  door,  saying : 

"fGo  inside  and  help  yourselves  freely.' 

"  The  people  rushed  in.  Then  what  do 
you  think  the  cruel  bishop  did  ?      He  ordered 


The  Wicked  Bishop  27 

his  servants  to  lock  the  door  and  set  the  place 
on  fire ! 

"  The  air  was  soon  filled  with  the  screams 
of  the  burning  people.  But  the  bishop  only 
laughed  and  danced.  He  said  to  his  serv- 
ants : 

"  c  Do  you  hear  the  rats  squeaking  inside  the 
granary  ? ' 

"  The  next  day  came.  There  were  only 
ashes  in  place  of  the  great  storehouse.  There 
seemed  to  be  no  life  about  the  town,  for  the 
people  were  all  dead. 

"  Suddenly  there  was  a  great  scurrying,  as  a 
tremendous  swarm  of  rats  came  rushing  out  of 
the  ashes.  On  they  came,  more  and  more 
of  them.  They  filled  the  streets,  and  even 
made   their   way   into  the   palace. 

"  The  wicked  bishop  was  filled  with  fear. 
He  fled  from  the  place  and  hurried  away 
over  the  fields.  But  the  swarm  of  rats  came 
rushing  after  him.    He  came  to  Bingen,  where 


28      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

he  hoped  to  be  safe  within  its  walls.  Somehow 
or  other,  the  rats  made  their  way  inside. 

"  There  was  now  only  one  hope  of  safety. 
The  bishop  fled  to  a  tower  standing  in  the 
middle  of  the  Rhine.  But  it  was  of  no  use  ! 
The  rats  swam  the  river  and  made  their  way 
up  the  sides  of  the  tower.  Their  sharp  teeth 
gnawed  holes  through  the  doors  and  windows. 
They  entered  in  and  came  to  the  room  where 
the  bishop  was  hiding." 

"  Wicked  fellow !  They  killed  and  ate 
him  as  he  deserved,  didn't  they  ? "  asked 
Bertha. 

"  There  wasn't  much  left  of  him  in  a  few 
minutes.  But  the  tower  still  stands,  and  you 
can  see  it  if  you  ever  go  to  Bingen,  although 
it  is  a  crumbling  old  pile   now." 

"  Rats'  Tower  is  a  good  name  for  it.  But 
I  would  rather  hear  about  enchanted  princesses 
and  brave  knights  than  wicked  old  bishops. 
Tell  me  another  story,  Hans." 


THE    RATS'    TOWER. 


The  Wicked  Bishop  29 

"  Oh,  I  can't.  Listen  !  I  hear  some  one 
coming.     Who  can  it  be  ?  " 

Hans  jumped  up  and  ran  to  the  door,  just 
in  time  to  meet  his  Uncle  Fritz,  who  lived  in 
Strasburg. 

The  children  loved  him  dearly.  He  was  a 
young  man  about  twenty-one  years  old.  He 
came  home  to  this  little  village  in  the  Black 
Forest  only  about  once  a  year.  He  had  so 
much  to  tell  and  was  so  kind  and  cheerful, 
every  one  was  glad  to  see   him. 

"  Uncle  Fritz  !  Uncle  Fritz  !  We  are  so 
glad  you've  come,"  exclaimed  Bertha,  putting 
her  arms  around  his  neck.  "  And  we  are 
going  to  have  something  that  you  like  for 
dinner." 

"  I  can  guess  what  it  is.  Sauerkraut  and 
boiled  pork.  There  is  no  other  sauerkraut  in 
Germany  as  good  as  that  your  mother  makes, 
I  do  believe.  I'm  hungry  enough  to  eat  the 
whole  dishful  and  not  leave  any  for  you  chil- 


30      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

dren.  Now  what  do  you  say  to  my  coming? 
Don't  you  wish  I  had  stayed  in  Stras- 
burg?" 

"  Oh,  no,  no,  Uncle  Fritz.  We  would 
rather  see  you  than  anybody  else,"  cried  Hans. 
"  And  here  comes  mother.  She  will  be  just 
as  glad  as  we  are." 

That  evening,  after  Hans  had  shown  his 
uncle  around  the  village,  and  he  had  called  on 
his  old  friends,  he  settled  himself  in  the  chim- 
ney-corner with  the  children  about  him. 

"  Talk  to  us  about  Strasburg,  Uncle  Fritz," 
begged  Gretchen. 

"  Please  tell  us  about  the  storks,"  said  Ber- 
tha. "  Are  there  great  numbers  of  the  birds 
in  the  city,  and  do  they  build  their  nests  on 
the  chimneys  ? " 

"  Yes,  you  can  see  plenty  of  storks  flying 
overhead  if  you  will  come  back  with  me,"  said 
Uncle  Fritz,  laughingly.  "  They  seem  to 
know  the  people  love  them.     If  a  stork  makes 


The  Wicked  Bishop  31 

his  home  about  any  one's  house,  it  is  a  sign  of 
good  fortune  to  the  people  who  live  there. 

"'It  will  surely  come,'  they  say  to  them- 
selves, '  and  the  storks  will  bring  it.'  Do  you 
wonder  the  people  like  the  birds  so  much  ? " 

"  I  read  a  story  about  a  mother  stork,"  said 
Bertha,  thoughtfully.  "  She  had  a  family  of 
baby  birds.  They  were  not  big  enough  to 
leave  their  nest,  when  a  fire  broke  out  in  the 
chimney  where  it  was  built.  Poor  mother  bird  ! 
She  could  have  saved  herself.  But  she  would 
not  leave  her  babies.  So  she  stayed  with  them 
and  they  were  all  burned  to  death  together." 

"  I  know  the  story.  That  happened  right 
in  Strasburg,"  said  her  uncle. 

"  Please  tell  us  about  the  beautiful  cathedral 
with  its  tall  tower,"  said  Hans.  "  Sometime, 
uncle,  I  am  going  to  Strasburg,  if  I  have  to 
walk  there,  and  then  I  shall  want  to  spend  a 
whole  day  in  front   of  the  wonderful  clock." 

"  You'd  better  have  a  lunch  with  you,  Hans, 


32      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

and  then  you  will  not  get  hungry.  But  really, 
my  dear  little  nephew,  I  hope  the  time  will 
soon  come  when  you  can  pay  me  a  long  visit. 
As  for  the  clock,  you  will  have  to  stay  in  front 
of  it  all  night  as  well  as  all  day,  if  you  are  to 
see  all  it  can  show  you." 

"  I  know  about  cuckoo-clocks,  of  course," 
said  Gretchen,  "  but  the  little  bird  is  the  only 
figure  that  comes  out  on  those.  There  are 
ever  so  many  different  figures  on  the  Stras- 
burg  clock,  aren't  there,  Uncle  Fritz  ?  " 

"  A  great,  great  many.  Angels  strike  the 
hours.  A  different  god  or  goddess  appears  for 
each  day  in  the  week.  Then,  at  noon  and 
at  midnight,  Jesus  and  his  twelve  apostles 
come  out  through  a  door  and  march  about  on 
a  platform. 

"  You  can  imagine  what  the  size  of  the 
clock  must  be  when  I  tell  you  that  the  figures 
are  as  large  as  people.  When  the  pro- 
cession of  the  apostles  appears,  a  gilded  cock 


The  Wicked  Bishop  33 

on  the  top  of  the  tower  flaps  its  wings  and 
crows. 

"  I  cannot  begin  to  tell  you  all  about  it.  It 
is  as  good  as  a  play,  and,  as  I  told  Hans, 
he  would  have  to  stay  many  hours  near  it 
to  see  all  the  sights." 

"  I  should  think  a  strong  man  would 
be  needed  to  wind  it  up,"  said  his 
nephew. 

"  The  best  part  of  it  is  that  it  does  not  need 
to  be  wound  every  day,"  replied  Uncle  Fritz. 
"  They  say  it  will  run  for  years  without  being 
touched.  Of  course,  travellers  are  coming 
to  Strasburg  all  the  time.  They  wish  to  see 
the  clock,  but  they  also  come  to  see  the 
cathedral  itself.  It  is  a  very  grand  building, 
and,  as  you  know,  the  spire  is  the  tallest  one 
in  all  Europe. 

"  Then  there  is  so  much  beautiful  carving ! 
And  there  are  such  fine  statues.  Oh,  children, 
you  must  certainly  come  to  Strasburg  before 


34      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

long  and  see  the  cathedral  of  which  all  Ger- 
many is  so  proud." 

"  Strasburg  was  for  a  time  the  home  of  our 
greatest  poet,"  said  Bertha.  "  I  want  to  go 
there  to  see  where  he  lived." 

The  child  was  very  fond  of  poetry,  even 
though  she  was  a  little  country  girl.  Her 
father  had  a  book  containing  some  of  Goethe's 
ballads,  and  she  loved  to  lie  under  the  trees 
in  the  pleasant  summer-time  and  repeat  some 
of  these  poems. 

"  They  are  just  like  music,"  she  would  say 
to  herself. 

"  A  marble  slab  has  been  set  up  in  the  old 
Fish  Market  to  mark  the  spot  where  Goethe 
lived,"  said  Uncle  Fritz.  "  They  say  he  loved 
the  grand  cathedral  of  the  city,  and  it  helped 
him  to  become  a  great  writer  when  he  was 
a  young  student  there.  I  suppose  its  beauty 
awakened  his  own  beautiful  thoughts." 

The  children  became  quiet  as  they  thought 


The  Wicked  Bishop  35 

of  their  country  and  the  men  who  had  made 
her  so  strong  and  great,  —  the  poets,  and 
the  musicians,  and  the  brave  soldiers  who 
had  defended  her  from  her  enemies. 

Uncle  Fritz  was  the  first  one  to  speak. 

"  I  will  tell  you  a  story  of  Strasburg,"  he 
said.  "  It  is  about  something  that  happened 
there  a  long  time  ago.  You  know,  the  city 
isn't  on  the  Rhine  itself,  but  it  is  on  a  little 
stream  flowing  into  the  greater  river. 

"  Well,  once  upon  a  time  the  people  of 
Zurich,  in  Switzerland,  asked  the  people 
of  Strasburg  to  join  with  them  in  a  bond 
of  friendship.  Each  should  help  the  other 
in  times  of  danger.  The  people  of  Strasburg 
did  not  think  much  of  the  idea.  They  said 
among  themselves  :  '  What  good  can  the  little 
town  of  Zurich  do  us?  And,  besides,  it  is  too 
far  away.'  So  they  sent  back  word  that  they 
did  not  care  to  make  such  a  bond.  They 
were  scarcely  polite  in   their  message,  either. 


2,6      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

"  When  they  heard  the  reply,  the  men 
of  Zurich  were  quite  angry.  They  were 
almost  ready  to  fight.  But  the  youngest  one 
of  their  councillors  said  : 

" l  We  will  force  them  to  eat  their  own 
words.  Indeed,  they  shall  be  made  to  give  us 
a  different  answer.  And  it  will  come  soon, 
too,  if  you  will  only  leave  the  matter  with  me.' 

" t  Do  as  you  please,'  said  the  other  coun- 
cillors. They  went  back  to  their  own  houses, 
while  the  young  man  hurried  home,  rushed 
out  into  the  kitchen  and  picked  out  the 
largest  kettle  there. 

" f  Wife,  cook  as  much  oatmeal  as  this 
pot    will    hold,'    he    commanded. 

"  The  woman  wondered  what  in  the  world 
her  husband  could  be  thinking  of.  But  she 
lost  no  time  in  guessing.  She  ordered  her 
servants  to  make  a  big  fire,  while  she  her- 
self stirred  and  cooked  the  great  kettlefu) 
of  oatmeal. 


The  Wicked   Bishop  37 

"  In  the  meanwhile,  her  husband  hurried 
down  to  the  pier,  and  got  his  swiftest  boat 
ready  for  a  trip  down  the  river.  Then  he 
gathered  the  best  rowers  in  the  town. 

" £  Come  with  me,'  he  said  to  two  of 
them,  when  everything  had  been  made  ready 
for  a  trip.  They  hastened  home  with  him, 
as  he  commanded. 

"  *  Is  the  oatmeal  ready  ? '  he  cried,  rushing 
breathless  into  the  kitchen. 

"  His  wife  had  just  finished  her  work.  The 
men  lifted  the  kettle  from  the  fire  and  ran  with 
it  to  the  waiting  boat.  It  was  placed  in  the 
stern  and  the  oarsmen  sprang  to  their  places. 

"  *  Pull,  men !  Pull  with  all  the  strength  you 
have,  and  we  will  go  to  Strasburg  in  time  to 
show  those  stupid  people  that,  if  it  should  be 
necessary,  we  live  near  enough  to  them  to  give 
them  a  hot  supper.' 

"  How  the  men  worked !  They  rowed  as 
they  had  never  rowed  before. 


38      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

"  They  passed  one  village  after  another. 
Still  they  moved  onward  without  stopping,  till 
they  found  themselves  at  the  pier  of  Strasburg. 

"  The  councillor  jumped  out  of  the  boat, 
telling  two  of  his  men  to  follow  with  the  great 
pot  of  oatmeal.  He  led  the  way  to  the  coun- 
cil-house, where  he  burst  in  with  his  strange 
present. 

" '  I  bring  you  a  warm  answer  to  your  cold 
words,'  he  told  the  surprised  councillors.  He 
spoke  truly,  for  the  pot  was  still  steaming. 
How  amused  they  all  were ! 

" c  What  a  clever  fellow  he  is,'  they  said 
among  themselves.  f  Surely  we  will  agree  to 
make  the  bond  with  Zurich,  if  it  holds  many 
men  like  him/ 

"  The  bond  was  quickly  signed  and  then, 
with  laughter  and  good-will,  the  councillors 
gathered  around  the  kettle  with  spoons  and 
ate  every   bit  of  the  oatmeal. 

" f  It  is  excellent,'  they  all  cried.    And  indeed 


The  Wicked   Bishop  39 

it  was  still  hot  enough  to  burn  the  mouths  of 
those  who  were  not  careful." 

"  Good  !  Good  !  "  cried  the  children,  and 
they  laughed  heartily,  even  though  it  was  a 
joke  against  their  own   people. 

Their  father  and  mother  had  also  listened  to 
the  story  and  enjoyed  it  as  much  as  the  chil- 
dren. 

"  Another  story,  please,  dear  Uncle  Fritz," 
they  begged. 

But  their  father  pointed  to  the  clock.  cf  Too 
late,  too  late,  my  dears,"  he  said.  "  If  you  sit 
up  any  longer,  your  mother  will  have  to  call 
you  more  than  once  in  the  morning.  So,  away 
to  your  beds,  every  one  of  you." 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE    COFFEE  -  PARTY 


"  How  would  you  like  to  be  a  wood-cutter, 
Hans  ? " 

"  I  think  it  would  be  great  sport.  I  like  to 
hear  the  thud  of  the  axe  as  it  comes  down  on 
the  trunk.  Then  it  is  always  an  exciting  time 
as  the  tree  begins  to  bend  and  fall  to  the 
ground.  Somehow,  it  seems  like  a  person. 
I   can't  help   pitying   it,   either." 

Hans  had  come  over  to  the  next  village  on 

an  errand  for  his  father.     A  big  sawmill  had 

been  built  on  the  side  of  the  stream,  and  all 

the  men  in  the  place  were  kept  busy  cutting 

down  trees  in  the  Black  Forest,  or  working  in 

the  sawmill. 

After  the  logs  had  been  cut  the  right  length, 
40 


The  Coffee -party  41 

they  were  bound  into  rafts,  and  floated  down 
the  little  stream  to  the  Rhine. 

"  The  rafts  themselves  seem  alive,"  said 
Hans  to  his  friend.  "  You  men  know  just 
how  to  bind  the  logs  together  with  those  willow 
bands,  so  they  twist  and  turn  about  like  living 
creatures  as  they  move  down  the  stream." 

"  I  have  travelled  on  a  raft  all  the  way  from 
here  to  Cologne,"  answered  the  wood-cutter. 
"  The  one  who  steers  must  be  skilful,  for  he 
needs  to  be  very  careful.  You  know  the  rafts 
grow  larger  all  the  time,  don't  you,  Hans  ? " 

"  Oh,  yes.  As  the  river  becomes  wider,  the 
smaller  ones  are  bound  together.  But  is  it 
true  that  the  men  sometimes  take  their  families 
along  with  them  ?  " 

"Certainly.  They  set  up  tents,  or  little 
huts,  on  the  rafts,  so  their  wives  and  children 
can  have  a  comfortable  place  to  eat  and  sleep. 
Then,  too,  if  it  rains,  they  can  be  sheltered 
from  the  storm." 


42      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

"  I'd  like  to  go  with  you  sometime.  You 
pass  close  to  Strasburg,  and  I  could  stop  and 
visit    Uncle    Fritz.      Wouldn't   it   be    fun  !  " 

"  Hans !  Hans  ! "  called  a  girl's  voice  just 
then. 

"  I  don't  see  her,  but  I  know  that's  Bertha. 
She  came  over  to  the  village  with  me  this  after- 
noon. One  of  her  friends  has  a  coffee-party 
and  she  invited  us  to  it.      So,  good-bye." 

"  Good-bye,  my  lad.  Come  and  see  me 
again.  Perhaps  I  can  manage  sometime  to 
take  you  with  me  on  a  trip   down  the  river." 

"  Thank  you  ever  so  much." 

Hans  hurried  away,  and  was  soon  entering 
the  house  of  a  little  friend  who  was  celebrating 
her  birthday  with  a  coffee-party. 

There  were  several  other  children  there. 
They  were  all  dressed  in  their  best  clothes  and 
looked  very  neat  and  nice.  The  boys  wore 
long  trousers  and  straight  jackets.  They 
looked    like   little   old   men.      The  girls    had 


The  Coffee -party  43 

bright-coloured  skirts  and  their  white  waists 
were  fresh  and  stiff. 

Their  shoes  were  coarse  and  heavy,  and 
made  a  good  deal  of  noise  as  the  children 
played  the  different  games.  But  they  were 
all  so  plump  and  rosy,  it  was  good  to  look 
at  them. 

"  They  are  a  pretty  sight,"  said  one  of  the 
neighbours,  as  she  poured  out  the  coffee. 

"  They  deserve  to  have  a  good  time,"  said 
another  woman  with  a  kind,  motherly  face. 
"  They  will  soon  grow  up,  and  then  they  will 
have  to  work  hard  to  get  a  living." 

The  coffee  and  cakes  were  a  great  treat  to 
these  village  children.  They  did  not  get  such 
a  feast  every  day  in  the  year.  Their  mothers 
made  cakes  only  for  festivals  and  holidays,  and 
coffee  was  seldom  seen  on  their  tables  oftener 
than  once  a  week. 

In  the  great  cities  and  fine  castles,  where 
the  rich  people  of  Germany  had  their  homes, 


44      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

they  could  eat  sweet  dainties  and  drink  coffee 
as  often  as  they  liked.  But  in  the  villages  of 
the  Black  Forest,  it  was  quite  different. 

"  Good  night,  good  night,"  said  Hans  and 
Bertha,  as  they  left  their  friends  and  trudged 
off  on  a  path  through  the  woods.  It  was  the 
shortest  way  home,  and  they  knew  their 
mother  must  be  looking  for  them  by  this 
time. 

It  was  just  sunset,  but  the  children  could 
not  see  the  beautiful  colours  of  the  evening 
sky,  after  they  had  gone  a  short  distance  into 
the  thick  woods. 

"  Do  you  suppose  there  are  any  bears 
around  ?  "  whispered  Bertha. 

The  trees  looked  very  black.  It  seemed  to 
the  little  girl  as  though  she  kept  seeing  the 
shadow  of  some  big  animal  hiding  behind 
them. 

"  No,  indeed,"  answered  Hans,  quite  scorn- 
fully.    "  Too  many  people  go  along  this  path 


The  Coffee  -  party  45 

for  bears  to  be  willing  to  stay  around  here. 
You  would  have  to  go  farther  up  into  the 
forest  to  find  them.  But  look  quickly, 
Bertha.  Do  you  see  that  rabbit  jumping 
along?     Isn't  he  a  big  fellow?" 

"  See  !  Hans,  he  has  noticed  us.  There  he 
goes  as  fast  as  his  legs  can  carry  him." 

By  this  time,  the  children  had  reached  the 
top  of  a  hill.  The  trees  grew  very  thick  and 
close.  On  one  side  a  torrent  came  rushing 
down  over  the  rocks  and  stones.  It  seemed 
to  say : 

"  I  cannot  stop  for  any  one.  But  come 
with  me,  come  with  me,  and  I  will  take  you 
to  the  beautiful  Rhine.  I  will  show  you  the 
way  to  pretty  bridges,  and  great  stone  castles, 
and  rare  old  cities.  Oh,  this  is  a  wonderful 
world,  and  you  children  of  the  Black  Forest 
have  a  great  deal  to  see  yet." 

"  I  love  to  listen  to  running  water,"  said 
Bertha.     "  It  always  has  a  story  to  tell  us." 


46      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

"  Do  you  see  that  light  over  there,  away  off 
in  the  distance  ?  "  asked  Hans.  cc  It  comes 
from  a  charcoal-pit.  I  can  hear  the  voices  of 
the  men  at  their  work." 

"  I  shouldn't  like  to  stay  out  in  the  dark 
woods  all  the  time  and  make  charcoal," 
answered  his  sister.  "  I  should  get  lonesome 
and  long  for  the  sunlight." 

"It  isn't  very  easy  work,  either,"  said 
Hans.  "  After  the  trees  have  been  cut 
down,  the  pits  have  to  be  made  with  the 
greatest  care,  and  the  wood  must  be  burned 
just  so  slowly  to  change  it  into  charcoal.  I 
once  spent  a  day  in  the  forest  with  some 
charcoal-burners.  They  told  such  good 
stories  that  night  came  before  I  had  thought 
of  it." 

"  I  can  see  the  village  ahead  of  us,"  said 
Bertha,  joyfully. 

A  few  minutes  afterward,  the  children  were 
running  up  the  stone  steps  of  their  own  home. 


The  Coffee -party  47 

"We  had  such  a  good  time,"  Hans  told 
his  mother,  while  Bertha  went  to  Gretchen 
and  gave  her  some  cakes  she  had  brought 
her  from  the  coffee-party. 

"  I'm  so  sorry  you  couldn't  go,"  she  told 
her  sister. 

"  Perhaps  I  can  next  time,"  answered 
Gretchen.  "  But,  of  course,  we  could  not  all 
leave  mother  when  she  had  so  much  work 
to  do.  So  I  just  kept  busy  and  tried  to 
forget  all  about  it." 

"You  dear,  good  Gretchen!  I'm  going  to 
try  to  be  as  patient  and  helpful  as  you 
are,"  said  Bertha,  kissing  her  sister. 


CHAPTER   V. 

THE    BEAUTIFUL    CASTLE 

"  Father's  coming,  father's  coming,"  cried 
Bertha,  as  she  ran  down  the  steps  and  out 
into  the  street. 

Her  father  had  been  away  for  two  days,  and 
Hans  had  gone  with  him.  They  had  been  to 
Heidelberg.  Bertha  and  Gretchen  had  never 
yet  visited  that  city,  although  it  was  not  more 
than  twenty  miles  away. 

"  Oh,  dear,  I  don't  know  where  to  begin," 
Hans  told  the  girls  that  evening. 

"  Of  course,  I  liked  to  watch  the  students 
better  than  anything  else.  The  town  seems 
full  of  them.  They  all  study  in  the  uni- 
versity, of  course,  but  they  are  on  the  streets 

a  good  deal.     They  seem  to  have  a  fine  time 

48 


The  Beautiful  Castle  49 

of  it.  Every  one  carries  a  small  cane  with 
a  button  on  the  end  of  it.  They  wear  their 
little  caps  down  over  their  foreheads  on  one 
side.'* 

"  What  colour  do  they  have  for  their  caps, 
Hans  ?  "  asked  Gretchen. 

"All  colours,  I  believe.  Some  are  red,  some 
blue,  some  yellow,  some  green.  Oh,  I  can't 
tell  you  how  many  different  kinds  there  are. 
But  they  were  bright  and  pretty,  and  made  the 
streets  look  as  though  it  must  be  a  festival 
day." 

"  I  have  heard  that  the  students  fight  a 
good  many  duels.      Is  that  so,   Hans?" 

"  If  you  should  see  them,  you  would  cer- 
tainly think  so.  Many  of  the  fellows  are  real 
handsome,  but  their  faces  are  scarred  more 
often  than  not. 

"  *  The  more  scars  I  can  show,  the  braver 
people  will  think  I  am/  That  is  what  the 
students  seem   to  think.     They  get  up  duels 


50      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

with  each  other  on  the  smallest  excuse.  When 
they  fight,  they  always  try  to  strike  the  face. 
Father  says  their  duelling  is  good  practice.  It 
really  helps  to  make  them  brave.  If  I  were  a 
student,  I  should  want  to  fight  duels,  too." 

Bertha  shuddered.  Duelling  was  quite  the 
fashion  in  German  universities,  but  the  little 
girl  was  very  tender-hearted.  She  could  not 
bear  to  think  of  her  brother  having  his  face 
cut  up  by  the  sword  of  any  one  in  the  world. 

"What  do  you  think,  girls?"  Hans  went 
on.  "  Father  had  to  go  to  the  part  of  the  town 
nearest  the  castle.  He  said  he  should  be  busy 
for  several  hours,  and  I  could  do  what  I  liked. 
So  I  climbed  up  the  hill  to  the  castle,  and 
wandered  all  around  it.  I  saw  a  number  of 
English  and  American  people  there.  I  sup- 
pose they  had  come  to  Heidelberg  on  purpose 
to  see  those  buildings. 

"'Isn't  it  beautiful!'  I  heard  them  exclaim 
again  and  again.     And  I  saw  a  boy  about  my 


The  Beautiful  Castle  51 

own  age  writing  things  about  it  in  a  note-book. 
He  told  his  mother  he  was  going  to  say 
it  was  the  most  beautiful  ruin  in  Germany. 
He  was  an  American  boy,  but  he  spoke  our 
language.  I  suppose  he  was  just  learning 
it,  for  he  made  ever  so  many  mistakes.  I 
could  hardly  tell  what  he  was  trying  to  say." 

"  What  did  his  mother  answer  ?  "  asked 
Bertha. 

"  She  nodded  her  head,  and  then  pointed 
out  some  of  the  finest  carvings  and  statues. 
But  she  and  her  son  moved  away  from  me 
before  long,  and  then  I  found  myself  near 
some  children  of  our  country.  They  must 
have  been  rich,  for  they  were  dressed  quite 
grandly.  Their  governess  was  with  them. 
She  told  them  to  notice  how  many  different 
kinds  of  buildings  there  were,  some  of  them 
richly  carved,  and  some  quite  plain.  *  You 
will  find  here  palaces,  towers,  and  fortresses, 
all  together,'  she  said.     f  For,  in  the  old  days, 


52      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

it  was  not  only  a  grand  home,  but  it  was  also 
a  strong  fortress.'  " 

"  You  know  father  told  us  it  was  not  built 
all  at  once,"  said  Gretchen.  "  Different  parts 
were  added  during  four  hundred  years." 

"  Yes,  and  he  said  it  had  been  stormed  by 
the  enemy,  and  burned  and  plundered,"  added 
Bertha.  "It  has  been  in  the  hands  of  those 
horrid  Frenchmen  several  different  times. 
Did   you   see   the   blown-up   tower,    Hans  ?  " 

"  Of  course  I  did.  Half  of  it,  you  know, 
fell  into  the  moat  during  one  of  the  sieges,  but 
linden-trees  have  grown  about  it,  and  it  makes 
a  shady  nook  in  which  to  rest  one's  self." 

"  You  did  not  go  inside  of  the  castle,  did 
you,  Hans  ? "  asked  Gretchen. 

"  No.  It  looked  so  big  and  gloomy, 
I  stayed  outside  in  the  pretty  gardens.  I 
climbed  over  some  of  the  moss-grown  stairs, 
though,  and  I  kept  discovering  something  I 
hadn't   seen    before.       Here   and   there   were 


COURTYARD    OF    HEIDELBERG    CASTLE. 


The  Beautiful  Castle  53 

old  fountains  and  marble  statues,  all  gray 
with  age." 

"They  say  that  under  the  castle  are  great, 
dark  dungeons,"  said  Bertha,  shivering  at  the 
thought. 

"  What  would  a  castle  be  without  dun- 
geons ? "  replied  her  brother.  "  Of  course 
there  are  dungeons.  And  there  are  also 
hidden,  underground  passages  through  which 
the  people  inside  could  escape  in  times  of 
war  and  siege." 

"  Oh,  Hans !  did  you  see  the  Heidelberg 
Tun  ?  "  asked  Gretchen. 

Now,  the  Heidelberg  Tun  is  the  largest 
wine-cask  in  the  whole  world.  People  say 
that  it  holds  forty-nine  thousand  gallons. 
Just  think  of  it !  But  it  has  not  been  filled 
for  more  than  a  hundred  years. 

"  No,  I  didn't  see  it,"  replied  Hans.  "  It 
is  down  in  the  cellar,  and  I  didn't  want  to  go 
there    without    father.     I    heard  some  of  the 


54      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

visitors  telling  about  the  marks  of  the  French- 
men's hatchets  on  its  sides.  One  of  the  times 
they  captured  the  castle,  they  tried  to  break 
open  the  tun.  They  thought  it  was  full  of 
wine.  But  they  did  not  succeed  in  hacking 
through  its  tough   sides." 

"  Good  !  Good  !  "  cried  his  sisters.  They 
had  little  love  for  France  and  her  people. 

That  evening,  after  Hans  had  finished  tell- 
ing the  girls  about  his  visit,  their  father  told 
them  the  legend  of  Count  Frederick,  a  brave 
and  daring  man  who  once  lived  in  Heidelberg 
Castle. 

Count  Frederick  was  so  brave  and  suc- 
cessful that  he  was  called  "  Frederick  the 
Victorious." 

Once  upon  a  time  he  was  attacked  by  the 
knights  and  bishops  of  the  Rhine,  who  had 
banded  together  against  him.  When  he  found 
what  great  numbers  of  soldiers  were  attacking 
his  castle,  Count  Frederick  was  not  frightened 


The  Beautiful  Castle  55 

in  the  least.  He  armed  his  men  with  sharp 
daggers,  and  marched  boldly  out  against  his 
foes. 

They  attacked  the  horses  first  of  all.  The 
daggers  made  short  work,  and  the  knights 
were  soon  brought  to  the  ground.  Their 
armour  was  so  heavy  that  it  was  an  easy 
matter  then  to  make  them  prisoners  and  take 
them  into  the  castle. 

But  Frederick  treated  them  most  kindly. 
He  ordered  a  great  banquet  to  be  prepared, 
and  invited  his  prisoners  to  gather  around  the 
board,  where  all  sorts  of  good  things  were 
served. 

One  thing  only  was  lacking.  There  was  no 
bread.  The  guests  thought  it  was  because  the 
servants  had  forgotten  it,  and  one  of  them 
dared  to  ask  for  a  piece.  Count  Frederick 
at  once  turned  toward  his  steward  and 
ordered  the  bread  to  be  brought.  Now  his 
master  had  privately  talked  with  the  steward 


56      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

and  had  told  him  what  words  to  use  at  this 
time. 

"  I  am  very  sorry,"  said  the  steward,  "  but 
there  is  no  bread." 

"  You  must  bake  some  at  once,"  ordered 
his  master. 

"  But  we  have  no  flour,"  was  the  answer. 

"You  must  grind  some,  then,"  was  the 
command. 

"  We  cannot  do  so,  for  we  have  no  grain." 

"  Then  see  that  some  is  threshed  imme- 
diately." 

"  That  is  impossible,  for  the  harvests  have 
been  burned  down,"  replied  the  steward. 

"  You  can  at  least  sow  grain,  that  we  may 
have  new  harvests  as  soon  as  possible." 

"  We  cannot  even  do  that,  for  our  enemies 
have  burned  down  all  the  buildings  where 
the  grain  was  stored  for  seed-time." 

Frederick  now  turned  to  his  visitors,  and 
told  them   they  must  eat  their  meat  without 


The  Beautiful  Castle  57 

bread.  But  that  was  not  all.  He  told  them 
they  must  give  him  enough  money  to  build 
new  houses  and  barns  to  take  the  places  of 
those  they  had  destroyed,  and  also  to  buy  new 
seed  for  grain. 

"  It  is  wrong,"  he  said,  sternly,  "  to  carry 
on  war  against  those  who  are  helpless,  and 
to  take  away  their  seeds  and  tools  from  the 
poor  peasants." 

It  was  a  sensible  speech.  It  made  the 
knights  ashamed  of  the  way  they  had  been 
carrying  on  war  in  the  country,  and  they  left 
the  castle  wiser  and  better  men. 

All  this  happened  long,  long  ago,  before 
Germany  could  be  called  one  country,  for 
the  different  parts  of  the  land  were  ruled 
over  by  different  people  and  in  different 
ways. 

This  same  Count  Frederick,  their  father 
told  them,  had  great  love  for  the  poor. 
When   he  was  still   quite  young,  he  made   a 


$&      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

vow.  He  said,  "  I  will  never  marry  a  woman 
of  noble  family." 

Not  long  after  this,  he  fell  in  love  with 
a  princess.  But  he  could  not  ask  her  to 
marry  him  on  account  of  the  vow  he  had 
made. 

He  was  so  unhappy  that  he  went  into  the 
army.  He  did  not  wish  to  live,  and  hoped  he 
would  soon  meet  death. 

But  the  fair  princess  loved  Frederick  as 
deeply  as  he  loved  her,  and  as  soon  as  she 
learned  of  the  vow  he  had  made,  she  made 
up  her  mind  what  to  do. 

She  put  on  the  dress  of  a  poor  sing- 
ing-girl, and  left  her  grand  home.  She  fol- 
lowed Frederick  from  place  to  place.  They 
met  face  to  face  one  beautiful  evening. 
Then  it  was  that  the  princess  told  her  lover 
she  had  given  up  her  rank  and  title  for  his 
sake. 

How  joyful   she  made   him  as  he  listened 


The  Beautiful  Castle  59 

to  her  story  !  You  may  be  sure  they  were 
soon  married,  and  the  young  couple  went  to 
live  in  Heidelberg  Castle,  where  they  were  as 
happy  and  as  merry  as  the  day  is  long. 


CHAPTER   VI. 


THE    GREAT    FREDERICK 


"  I  declare,  Hans,  I  should  think  you 
would  get  tired  of  playing  war,"  said  Bertha. 
She  was  sitting  under  the  trees  rocking  her 
doll.     She  was  playing  it  was  a  baby. 

Hans  had  just  come  home  after  an  after- 
noon of  sport  with  his  boy  friends.  But  all 
they  had  done,  Bertha  declared,  was  to  play 
war  and  soldiers.  She  had  watched  them 
from  her  own  yard. 

"  Tired  of  it !     What  a  silly  idea,  Bertha. 

It   won't   be    many    years    before    I    shall  be 

a  real  soldier.     Just  picture  me  then  !     I  shall 

have  a  uniform,  and  march  to  music.     I  don't 

know  where  I  may  go,  either.     Who  knows 

to  what  part  of  the  world   the  emperor  will 

send  his  soldiers  at  that  time  ? " 

60 


The  Great  Frederick  61 

"  I  know  where  you  would  like  to  go  in  our 
own  country,"  said  Bertha. 

"  To  Berlin,  of  course.  What  a  grand  city 
it  must  be !  Father  has  been  there.  Our 
schoolmaster  was  there  while  he  served  his 
time  as  a  soldier.  At  this  very  moment,  it 
almost  seems  as  though  I  could  hear  the 
jingling  of  the  officers'  swords  as  they  move 
along  the  streets.  The  regiments  are  drilled 
every  day,  and  I  don't  know  how  often  the 
soldiers  have  sham   battles." 

Hans  jumped  up  from  his  seat  under  the 
tree  and  began  to  march  up  and  down  as 
though  he  were  a  soldier  already. 

"  Attention,  battalion  !  Forward,  march  !  " 
Bertha  called  after  him.  But  she  was  laugh- 
ing as  she  spoke.  She  could  not  help  it, 
Hans  looked  so  serious.  At  the  same  time 
she  couldn't  help  envying  her  brother  a  little, 
and  wishing  she  were  a  boy,  too.  It  must 
be  so  grand  to  be  a  soldier  and  be  ready  to 


62      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

fight  for  the  emperor  who  ruled  over  her 
country. 

"  The  schoolmaster  told  us  boys  yesterday 
about  the  grand  palace  at  Berlin.  The  em- 
peror lives  in  it  when  he  is  in  the  city,"  said 
Hans,  wheeling  around  suddenly  and  stopping 
in  front  of  Bertha. 

"  I  think,  you  must  have  caught  my 
thoughts,"  said  the  little  girl,  "for  the  em- 
peror was  in  my  mind  when  you  began  to 
speak." 

"Well,  never  mind  that.  Do  you  wish 
to  hear  about  the  palace  ? " 

"  Of  course  I  do,  Hans." 

"  The  schoolmaster  says  it  has  six  hundred 
rooms.  Just  think  of  it !  And  one  of  them, 
called  the  White  Room,  is  furnished  so 
grandly  that  2,400,000  marks  were  spent  on 
it.  You  can't  imagine  it,  Bertha,  of  course. 
I  can't,  either." 

A  German  mark  is  worth  about  twenty-four 


•'.'.   -"■■'■    ~            .    ;"    .."V   - 'T ■ 

'•                   "              ■■■'■■'     l'" 

>"       '• 

&, 

fiRI  H 

STATUE    OF    FREDERICK    THE    GREAT. 


t  The  Great  Frederick  63 

cents  of  American  money,  so  the  furnishing 
of  the  room  Hans  spoke  of  must  have  cost 
about  $600,000.  It  was  a  large  sum,  and 
it  is  no  wonder  the  boy  said  he  could 
hardly  imagine  so  much  money. 

"  There  are  hundreds  of  halls  in  the 
palace,"  Hans  went  on.  "  Some  of  their 
walls  are  painted  and  others  are  hung  with 
elegant  silk  draperies.  The  floors  are  pol- 
ished so  they  shine  like  mirrors.  Then  the 
pictures  and  the  armour,  Bertha !  It  almost 
seemed  as  though  I  were  there  while  the 
schoolmaster  was  describing  them." 

<c  I  never  expect  to  see  such  lovely  things," 
said  his  sober  little  sister.  "  But  perhaps  I 
shall  go  to  Berlin  some  day,  Hans.  Then 
I  can  see  the  statue  of  Frederick  the  Great, 
at  any  rate." 

"It  stands  opposite  the  palace,"  said  her 
brother,  "  and  cost  more  than  any  other 
bronze  statue  in  the  world." 


64      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

"  How  did  you  learn  that,  Hans  ?  " 

"The  schoolmaster  told  us  so.  He  said, 
too,  that  it  ought  to  stir  the  blood  of  every 
true  German  to  look  at  it.  There  the  great 
Frederick  sits  on  horseback,  wearing  the  robe 
in  which  he  was  crowned,  and  looking  out 
from  under  his  cocked  hat  with  his  bright, 
sharp  eyes.  That  statue  alone  is  enough 
to  make  the  soldiers  who  march  past  it  ready 
to  give  their  lives  for  their  country." 

"He  lived  when  the  different  kingdoms 
were  separated  from  each  other,  and  there 
was  no  one  ruler  over  all  of  them.  I  know 
that,"  said  Bertha. 

"Yes,  he  was  the  King  of  Prussia.  And 
he  fought  the  Seven  Years'  War  with  France 
and  came  out  victorious.  Hardly  any  one 
thought  he  could  succeed,  for  there  was  so 
much  against  him.  But  he  was  brave  and 
determined.  Those  two  things  were  worth 
everything  else." 


The  Great  Frederick  65 

"  That  wasn't  the  only  war  he  won,  either, 
Hans." 

"  No,  but  it  must  have  been  the  greatest. 
Did  you  know,  Bertha,  that  he  was  unhappy 
when  he  was  young  ?  His  father  was  so  strict 
that  he  tried  to  run  away  from  Germany  with 
two  of  his  friends.  The  king  found  out 
what  they  meant  to  do.  One  of  the  friends 
was  put  to  death,  and  the  other  managed 
to  escape." 

"  What  did  his  father  do  to  Frederick  ? " 
Bertha's  eyes  were  full  of  pity  for  a  prince 
who  was  so  unhappy  as  to  wish  to  run  away. 

"  The  king  ordered  his  son  to  be  put  to 
death.  But  I  suppose  he  was  angry  at  the 
time,  for  he  changed  his  mind  before  the 
sentence  was   carried  out,   and  forgave   him." 

"  I  wonder  how  kings  and  emperors  live," 
said  Bertha,  slowly.  It  seemed  as  though 
everything  must  be  different  with  them  from 
what  it  was  with  other  people. 


66      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

"  I'll  tell  you  about  Frederick,  if  you  wish 
to  listen." 

"  Of  course  I  do,  Hans." 

"  In  the  first  place,  he  didn't  care  anything 
about  fine  clothes,  even  if  he  was  a  king  and 
was  born  in  the  grand  palace  at  Berlin.  His 
coat  was  often  very  shabby. 

"In  the  next  place,  he  slept  only  about  four 
hours  out  of  the  whole  twenty-four  for  a  good 
many  years.  He  got  up  at  three  o'clock  on 
summer  mornings,  and  in  the  winter-time  he 
was  always  dressed  by  five,  at  the  very  latest. 

"While  his  hair-dresser  was  at  work,  he 
opened  his  most  important  letters.  After  that, 
he  attended  to  other  business  affairs  of  the 
country.  These  things  were  done  before  eat- 
ing or  drinking.  But  when  they  had  been 
attended  to,  the  king  went  into  his  writing- 
room  and  drank  a  number  of  glasses  of  cold 
water.  As  he  wrote,  he  sipped  coffee  and  ate 
a  little  fruit  from  time  to  time. 


The  Great  Frederick  67 

"  He  loved  music  very  dearly,  and  some- 
times rested  from  his  work  and  played  on  his 
flute. 

"  Dinner  was  the  only  regular  meal  of  the 
day.  It  was  served  at  twelve  o'clock,  and 
lasted  three  or  four  hours.  There  was  a  bill 
of  fare,  and  the  names  of  the  cooks  were  given 
as  well  as  the  dishes  they  prepared." 

"  Did  the  king  ever  let  them  know  whether 
he  was  pleased  or  not  with  their  cooking  ? " 
asked  Bertha. 

"  Yes.  He  marked  the  dishes  he  liked  best 
with  a  cross.  He  enjoyed  his  dinner,  and 
generally  had  a  number  of  friends  to  eat  with 
him.  There  was  much  joking,  and  there  were 
many  clever  speeches. 

"  When  the  meal  was  over,  the  king  played 
on  his  flute  a  short  time,  and  then  attended  to 
more  business." 

"  Did  he  work  till  bedtime,  Hans  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no.       In    the   evening   there   was   a 


68      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

concert  or  lecture,  or  something  like  that. 
But,  all  the  same,  the  king  was  a  hard- 
working man,  even  in  times  of  peace." 

"  He  loved  his  people  dearly,  father  once 
told  me,"  said  Bertha.  "  He  said  he  under- 
stood his  subjects  and  they  understood  him." 

"  Yes,  and  that  reminds  me  of  a  story  the 
schoolmaster  told.  King  Frederick  was  once 
riding  through  the  street  when  he  saw  a  crowd 
of  people  gathered  together.  He  said  to  his 
groom,  c  Go  and  see  what  is  the  matter.' 
The  man  came  back  and  told  the  king  that 
the  people  were  all  looking  at  a  caricature 
of  Frederick  himself.  A  caricature,  you  know, 
is  a  comical  portrait. 

"  Perhaps  you  think  the  king  was  angry 
when  he  heard  this.  Not  at  all.  He  said, 
f  Go  and  hang  the  picture  lower  down,  so 
they  will  not  have  to  stretch  their  necks  to 
see  it/ 

"  The  crowd    heard    the  words.     (  Hurrah 


The  Great  Frederick  69 

for  the  king  ! '  they  cried.  At  the  same  time, 
they  began  to  tear  the  picture  into  pieces." 

"  Frederick  the  Great  could  appreciate  a 
joke,"  said  Bertha.  "  I  should  think  the 
people  must  have  loved  him." 

"  He  had  some  fine  buildings  put  up  in  his 
lifetime,"  Hans  went  on.  "A  new  palace  was 
built  in  Berlin,  besides  another  one  the  king 
called  *  Sans  Souci.'  Those  are  French  words 
meaning,  i  Without  a  Care.'  He  called  the 
place  by  that  name  because  he  said  he  was 
free-hearted  and  untroubled  while  he  stayed 
there. 

"  I've  told  you  these  things  because  you  are 
a  girl.  But  I'll  tell  you  what  I  like  to  think 
of  best  of  all.  It's  the  stories  of  the  wars 
in  which  he  fought  and  in  which  he  showed 
such  wonderful  courage.  So,  hurrah  for  Fred- 
erick the  Great,  King  of  Prussia  !  " 

Hans  made  a  salute  as  though  he  stood 
in    the    presence    of  the   great    king.       Then 


70      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

he  started  for  the  wood-pile,  where  he  was 
soon  sawing  logs  with  as  much  energy  as  if 
he  were  fighting  against  the  enemies  of  his 
country. 


CHAPTER   VII. 


THE    BRAVE    PRINCESS 


"  Listen,  children !  That  must  be  the 
song  of  a  nightingale.     How  sweet  it  is !  " 

It  was  a  lovely  Sunday  afternoon.  Every 
one  in  the  family  had  been  to  church  in 
the  morning,  and  come  home  to  a  good 
dinner  of  bean  soup  and  potato  salad.  Then 
the  father  had  said  : 

"  Let  us  take  a  long  walk  over  the  fields 
and  through  the  woods.  The  world  is  beau- 
tiful to-day.  We  can  enjoy  it  best  by  leaving 
the  house  behind  us." 

Some  of  the  neighbours  joined  the  merry 

party.     The  men  smoked    their  pipes,  while 

the  women  chatted  together  and  the  children 

frolicked  about  them  and  picked  wild  flowers. 

71 


72      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

How  many  sweet  smells  there  were  in  the 
fields  !  How  gaily  the  birds  sang  !  The  air 
seemed  full   of  peace  and  joy. 

They  all  wandered  on  till  they  came  to 
a  cascade  flowing  down  over  some  high  rocks. 
Trees  grew  close  to  the  waterfall,  and  bent 
over  it  as  though  to  hide  it  from  curious  eyes. 
It  was  a  pretty  spot. 

"  Let  us  sit  down  at  the  foot  of  this 
cascade,"  said  Bertha's  father.  "It  is  a  pleas- 
ant place  to  rest." 

Every  one  liked  the  plan.  Bertha  nestled 
close  to  her  father's  side. 

"  Tell  us  a  story.     Please  do,"  she  said. 

"  Ask  neighbour  Abel.  He  knows  many  a 
legend  of  just  such  places  as  this.  He  has 
lived  in  the  Hartz  Mountains,  and  they  are 
filled  with   fairy  stories." 

The  rest  of  the  party  heard  what  was  said. 

"  Neighbour  Abel !  A  story,  a  story,"  they 
cried. 


The  Brave  Princess  73 

Of  course  the  kind-hearted  German  could 
not  refuse  such  a  general  request.  Besides,  he 
liked  to  tell  stories.  Taking  his  long  pipe 
out  of  his  mouth,  he  laid  it  down  on  the 
ground  beside  him.  Then  he  cleared  his 
throat  and  began  to  speak. 

"  Look  above  you,  friends.  Do  you  see 
that  mark  on  the  rocky  platform  overhead  ? 
I  noticed  it  as  soon  as  I  got  here.  It  made 
me  think  of  a  wild  spot  in  the  Hartz  Moun- 
tains where  there  is  just  such  a  mark.  The 
people  call  it  {  The  Horse's  Hoof-print.'  I 
will  tell  you  how  they  explain  its  coming  there. 

"  Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  beautiful 
princess.  Her  name  was  Brunhilda,  and  she 
lived  in  Bohemia.  She  lived  a  gay  and  happy 
life,  like  most  young  princesses,  till  one  day 
a  handsome  prince  arrived  at  her  father's 
palace.  He  was  the  son  of  the  king  of 
the  Hartz  country. 

"  Of  course,  you  can  all  guess  what  hap- 


74      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

pened.  The  prince  fell  in  love  with  the 
princess,  and  she  returned  his  love.  The  day 
was  set  for  the  wedding,  and  the  young  prince 
went  home  to  prepare  for  the  great  event. 

"  But  he  had  been  gone  only  a  short  time 
when  a  powerful  giant  arrived  at  Brunhilda's 
home.  He  came  from  the  far  north.  His 
name  was   Bodo. 

"  He  asked  for  the  princess  in  marriage,  but 
her  heart  had  already  been  given  away.  She 
did  not  care  for  the  giant,  even  though  he 
gave  her  the  most  elegant  presents,  —  a  beau- 
tiful white  horse,  jewels  set  in  gold,  and  chains 
of  amber. 

" { I  dare  not  refuse  the  giant,'  said  Brun- 
hilda's father.  c  He  is  very  powerful,  and  we 
must  not  make  him  angry.  You  must  marry 
him,  my  daughter,  in  three  days.' 

"  The  poor  maiden  wept  bitterly.  It  seemed 
as  though  her  heart  would  break.  But  she 
was  a  clever  girl,  and  she  soon  dried  her  tears 


The  Brave  Princess  75 

and  began  to  think  of  some  plan  by  which  she 
might  yet  be  free.  She  began  to  smile  upon 
the  giant  and  treat  him  with  great  kindness. 

" '  I  should  like  to  try  the  beautiful  horse 
you  brought  me,'  she  said  to  him.  He  was 
much  pleased.  The  horse  was  brought  to  the 
door.  The  princess  mounted  him  and  rode 
for  a  time  up  and  down  in  front  of  the 
palace. 

"  The  very  next  day  was  that  set  apart 
for  the  wedding.  The  castle  was  filled  with 
guests  who  feasted  and  made  merry.  The 
giant  entered  into  everything  with  a  will.  He 
laughed  till  the  floors  and  walls  shook.  Little 
did  he  think  what  was  taking  place.  For  the 
princess  slipped  out  of  the  castle  when  no  one 
was  watching,  hurried  into  the  stable,  and 
leaped  upon  the  back  of  her  swift  white  horse. 

" '  Lower  the  drawbridge  instantly,'  she 
called  to  the  guard.  She  passed  over  it, 
and  away  she  flew  like  the  wind. 


76      Our  Little   German  Cousin 

"  You  were  too  late,  too  late,  O  giant, 
when  you  discovered  that  Brunhilda  was 
missing. 

"  He  flew  out  of  the  castle,  and  on  the  back 
of  his  own  fiery  black  horse  he  dashed  after 
the  runaway  princess. 

"  On  they  went !  On,  on,  without  stopping. 
Over  the  plains,  up  and  down  the  hillsides, 
through  the  villages.  The  sun  set  and  dark- 
ness fell  upon  the  world,  but  there  was  never 
a  moment's  rest  for  the  maiden  on  the  white 
horse  or  the  giant  lover  on  his  black  steed. 

"  Sometimes  in  the  darkness  sparks  were 
struck  off  from  the  horses'  hoofs  as  they 
passed  over  rough  and  rocky  places.  These 
sparks  always  showed  the  princess  ahead  and 
slowly  increasing  the  distance  between  herself 
and  her  pursuer. 

"  When  the  morning  light  first  appeared, 
the  maiden  could  see  the  summit  of  the 
Brocken  ahead  of  her.      It  was  the  home  of 


The  Brave  Princess  77 

her  lover.  Her  heart  leaped  within  her.  If 
she  could  only  reach  it  she  would  be  safe. 

"  But  alas  !  her  horse  suddenly  stood  still. 
He  would  not  move.  He  had  reached  the 
edge  of  a  precipice.  There  it  lay,  separating 
the  princess  from  love  and  safety. 

"  The  brave  girl  had  not  a  moment  to  lose. 
The  giant  was  fast  drawing  near.  She  wheeled 
her  horse  around ;  then,  striking  his  sides  a 
sharp  blow  with  her  whip,  she  urged  him  to 
leap  across  the  precipice. 

"The  spring  must  be  strong  and  sure.  It 
was  a  matter  of  life  and  death.  The  chasm 
was  deep.  If  the  horse  should  fail  to  strike 
the  other  side  securely,  it  meant  a  horrible  end 
to  beast  and  rider. 

"  But  he  did  not  fail.  The  feet  of  the 
brave  steed  came  firmly  down  upon  the  rocky 
platform.  So  heavily  did  they  fall  that  the 
imprint  of  a  hoof  was  left  upon  the  rock. 

"  The  princess  was  now  safe.     It  would  be 


78      Our  Little   German  Cousin 

an  easy  matter  for  her  to  reach  her  lover's 
side. 

"  As  for  the  giant,  he  tried  to  follow  Brun- 
hilda  across  the  chasm.  But  he  was  too  heavy 
and  his  horse  failed  to  reach  the  mark.  The 
two  sank  together  to  the  bottom  of  the 
precipice." 

Every  one  thanked  the  story-teller,  and 
begged  him  to  tell  more  of  the  Hartz  Moun- 
tains, where  he  had  spent  his  boyhood  days. 
The  children  were  delighted  when  he  spoke 
of  the  gnomes,  in  whom  he  believed  when  he 
was  a  child. 

"  Every  time  I  went  out  in  the  dark  woods," 
he  said,  "  I  was  on  the  lookout  for  these 
funny  little  fairies  of  the  underground  world. 
I  wanted  to  see  them,  but  at  the  same  time  I 
was  afraid  I  should  meet  them. 

"  I  remember  one  time  that  my  mother  sent 
me  on  an  errand  through  the  woods  at  twi- 
light.    I  was  in  the  thickest  part  of  the  woods, 


The  Brave  Princess  79 

when  I  heard  a  sound  that  sent  a  shiver  down 
my  back. 

" c  It  is  a  witch,  or  some  other  dreadful 
being,'  I  said  to  myself.  {  Nothing  else  could 
make  a  sound  like  that.'  My  teeth  chat- 
tered. My  legs  shook  so,  I  could  hardly 
move.  Somehow  or  other,  I  managed  to 
keep  on.  It  seemed  as  though  hours  passed 
before  I  saw  the  lights  of  the  village. 
Yet  I  suppose  it  was  not  more  than  fifteen 
minutes. 

"When  I  was  once  more  safe  inside  my 
own  home,  I  told  my  father  and  mother 
about  my  fright. 

" c  It  was  no  witch,  my  child,'  said  my 
father.  '  The  sound  you  describe  was  prob- 
ably the  cry  of  a  wildcat.  I  thank  Heaven 
that  you  are  safe.  A  wildcat  is  not  a  very 
pleasant  creature  to  meet  in  a  lonely  place.' 

"After  that,  I  was  never  sent  away  from 
the  village  after  dark. 


So      Our  Little   German  Cousin 

"  My  boy  friends  and  I  often  came  across 
badgers  and  deer,  and  sometimes  foxes  made 
their  way  into  the  village  in  search  of  poultry, 
but  I  never  came  nearer  to  meeting  a  wildcat 
than  the  time  of  which  I  have  just  told  you." 

"  What  work  did  you  do  out  of  school 
hours  ?  "  asked  Hans.  The  boy  was  thinking 
of  the  toys  he  had  to  carve. 

"  My  mother  raised  canary-birds,  and  I 
used  to  help  her  a  great  deal.  Nearly  every 
woman  in  the  village  was  busy  at  the  same 
work.  What  concerts  we  did  have  in  those 
days  !  Mother  tended  every  young  bird  she 
raised  with  the  greatest  care.  Would  it  be- 
come a  good  singer  and  bring  a  fair  price  ? 
We  waited  anxiously  for  the  first  notes,  and 
then  watched  to  see  how  the  voices  gained  in 
strength  and  sweetness. 

"  It  was  a  pleasant  life,  and  I  was  very 
happy  among  the  birds  in  our  little  village. 
Would  you  like  to  hear  a  song  I  used  to  sing 


The  Brave  Princess  81 

at  that  time  ?  It  is  all  about  the  birds  and 
bees  and  flowers." 

"  Do  sing  it  for  us,"  cried  every  one. 

Herr  Abel  had  a  good  voice  and  they 
listened  with  pleasure  to  his  song.  This  is 
the  first  stanza : 

"  I  have  been  on  the  mountain 
That  the  song-birds  love  best. 
They  were  sitting,  were  flitting, 
They  were  building  their  nest. 
They  were  sitting,  were  flitting, 
They  were  building  their  nest." 

After  he  had  finished,  he  told  about  the 
mines  in  which  some  of  his  friends  worked. 
It  was  a  hard  life,  with  no  bright  sunlight  to 
cheer  the  men  in  those  deep,  dark  caverns 
underground. 

"  Of  course  you  all  know  that  the  deepest 
mine  in  the  world  is  in  the  Hartz  Mountains." 

His  friends  nodded  their  heads,  while  Hans 
whispered   to    Bertha,   "  I   should  like  to  go 


82      Our  Little   German  Cousin 

down  in  that  mine  just  for  the  sake  of  saying 
I  have  been  as  far  into  the  earth  as  any  living 
person." 

"  The  sun  is  setting,  and  there  is  a  chill  in 
the  air,"  said  Bertha's  father.  "  Let  us  go 
home." 


bertha's  home. 


* 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

WHAT    THE    WAVES    BRING 

Bertha's  mother  had  just  come  in  from  a 
hard  morning's  work  in  the  fields.  She  had 
been  helping  her  husband  weed  the  garden. 

She  spent  a  great  deal  of  time  outdoors  in 
the  summer-time,  as  many  German  peasant 
women  do.  They  do  a  large  share  of  the 
work  in  ploughing  the  grain-fields  and  har- 
vesting the  crops.  They  are  much  stronger 
than  their  American  cousins. 

"  Supper  is  all  ready  and  waiting  for  you," 
said  Bertha. 

The  little  girl  had  prepared  a  dish  of  sweet 

fruit  soup  which  her  mother  had  taught  her  to 

make. 

"  It  is  very  good,"  said  her  father  when  he 
83 


84      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

had  tasted  it.  "  My  little  Bertha  is  getting 
to  be  quite  a  housekeeper." 

"  Indeed,  it  is  very  good,"  said  her  mother. 
"  You  learned  your  lesson  well,  my  child." 

Bertha  was  quite  abashed  by  so  much  praise. 
She  looked  down  upon  her  plate  and  did  not 
lift  her  eyes  again  till  Gretchen  began  to  tell  of 
a  new  amber  bracelet  which  had  just  been 
given  to  one  of  the  neighbours. 

"It  is  beautiful,"  said  Gretchen,  quite 
excitedly.  "  The  beads  are  such  a  clear, 
lovely  yellow.  They  look  so  pretty  on  Frau 
Braun's  neck,  I  don't  wonder  she  is  greatly 
pleased  with  her  present." 

"  Who  sent  it  to  her  ?  "  asked  her  mother. 

"  Her  brother  in  Cologne.  He  is  doing 
well  at  his  trade,  and  so  he  bought  this  neck- 
lace at  a  fair  and  sent  it  to  his  sister  as  a 
remembrance.  He  wrote  her  a  letter  all  about 
the  sights  in  Cologne,  and  asked  Frau  Braun 
to  come  and  visit  him  and  his  wife. 


What  the  Waves  Bring        8$ 

"  He  promised  her  in  the  letter  that  if  she 
would  come,  he  would  take  her  to  see  the 
grand  Cologne  cathedral.  He  said  thousands 
of  strangers  visit  it  every  year,  because  every 
one  knows  it  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
buildings  in  all  Europe. 

"  Then  he  said  she  should  also  see  the 
Church  of  Saint  Ursula,  where  the  bones  of 
the  eleven  thousand  maidens  can  still  be  seen 
in  their  glass  cases." 

"  Do  you  know  the  story  of  St.  Ursula, 
Gretchen  ?  "  asked  her  father. 

"  Yes,  indeed,  sir.  Ursula  was  the  daughter 
of  an  English  king.  She  was  about  to  be 
married,  but  she  said  that  before  the  wedding 
she  would  go  to  Rome  on  a  pilgrimage. 

"  Eleven  thousand  young  girls  went  with 
the  princess.  On  her  way  home  she  was 
married,  but  when  the  wedding  party  had  got 
as  far  as  Cologne,  they  were  attacked  by  the 
savage    Huns.      Every    one    was     killed, — 


86      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

Ursula,  her  husband,  and  the  eleven  thousand 
maidens.  The  church  was  afterward  built 
in  her  memory.  Ursula  was  made  a  saint  by 
the  Pope,  and  the  bones  of  the  young  girls 
were  preserved  in  glass  cases  in  the  church." 

"  Did  Frau  Braun  tell  of  anything  else  her 
brother  wrote  ?  "  asked  her  mother. 

"He  spoke  of  the  bridge  of  boats  across 
the  river,  and  said  she  would  enjoy  watching 
it  open  and  shut  to  let  the  steamers  and  big 
rafts  pass  through.  And  he  told  of  the 
Cologne  water  that  is  sold  in  so  many  of 
the  shops.  It  is  hard  to  tell  which  makes 
the  town  most  famous,  the  great  cathedral 
or  the  Cologne  water." 

"  Father,  how  was  the  bridge  of  boats 
made  ?  "  asked   Bertha. 

"  The  boats  were  moored  in  a  line  across 
the  river.  Planks  were  then  laid  across  the 
tops  and  fastened  upon  them.  Vessels  cannot 
pass  under  a    bridge  of  this  kind,  so  it   has 


What  the  Waves  Bring        87 

to  be  opened  from  time  to  time.     They  say 
it  is  always  interesting  to  see  this  done." 

"  Yes,  Frau  Braun  said  she  would  rather  see 
the  bridge  of  boats  than  anything  else  in  tfye 
city.  She  has  already  begun  to  plan  how  sljie 
can  save  up  enough  money  to  make  the  trip/' 

"  I  will  go  over  there  to-morrow  to  see  her  . 
new   necklace,"   said   Bertha.     "  But   what   is 
amber,  father  ? " 

"If  you  should  go  to  the  northern  part  of 
Germany,  Bertha,  you  would  see  great  num- 
bers of  men,  women,  and  children,  busy  on 
the  shores  of  the  ocean.  The  work  is  greatest 
in  the  rough  days  of  autumn,  when  a  strong 
wind  is  blowing  from  the  northeast. 

"  Then  the  men  dress  themselves  as  though 
they  were  going  out  into  a  storm.  They  arm 
themselves  with  nets  and  plunge  into  the 
waves,  which  are  bringing  treasure  to  the 
shore.  It  is  the  beautiful  amber  we  admire 
so  much. 


88      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

"  The  women  and  children  are  waiting  on 
the  sands,  and  as  the  men  bring  in  their 
nets,  the  contents  are  given  into  their  hands. 
They  separate  the  precious  lumps  of  amber 
from  the  weeds  to  which  they  are  clinging." 

Their  father  stopped  to  fill  his  pipe,  and  the 
children  thought  he  had  come  to  the  end  of 
the  story. 

"  But  you  haven't  told  us  yet  what  amber 
is,"  said  Bertha. 

"Be  patient,  my  little  one,  and  you  shall 
hear,"  replied  her  father,  patting  her  head. 
"  As  yet,  I  have  not  half  told  the  story.  But 
I  will  answer  your  question  at  once. 

"  A  long  time  ago,  longer  than  you  can 
imagine,  Bertha,  forests  were  growing  along 
the  shores  of  the  Baltic  Sea.  There  was 
a  great  deal  of  gum  in  the  trees  of  these 
forests.  It  oozed  out  of  the  trees  in  the 
same  manner  as  gum  from  the  spruce-tree 
and  resin  from  the  pine. 


What  the  Waves  Bring        89 

"  Storms  arose,  and  beds  of  sand  and  clay 
drifted  over  the  forests.  They  were  buried 
away  for  thousands  of  years,  it  may  be.  But 
the  motion  of  the  sea  washes  up  pieces  of 
the  gum,  which  is  of  light  weight. 

"  The  gum  has  become  changed  while 
buried  in  the  earth  such  a  long,  long  time. 
Wise  men  use  the  word  '  fossilized '  when 
they  speak  of  what  has  happened  to  it.  The 
now  beautiful,  changed  gum  is  called  amber. 

"  There  are  different  ways  of  getting  it.  I 
told  you  how  it  comes  drifting  in  on  the 
waves  when  the  winds  are  high  and  the 
water  is  rough.  But  on  the  pleasant  summer 
days,  when  the  sea  is  smooth  and  calm,  the 
men  go  out  a  little  way  from  the  shore  in 
boats.  They  float  about,  looking  earnestly 
over  the  sides  of  the  boats  to  the  bottom 
of  the  sea. 

"  All  at  once,  they  see  something.  Down 
go  their  long  hooks  through  the  water.      A 


90      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

moment  afterward,  they  begin  to  tow  a  tangle 
of  stones  and  seaweed  to  the  shore.  As  soon 
as  they  land,  they  begin  to  sort  out  the  great 
mass.  Perhaps  they  will  rejoice  in  finding 
large  pieces  of  amber  in  the  collection. 

"  There  is  still  another  way  of  getting 
amber.  I  know  Hans  will  be  most  interested 
in  what  I  am  going  to  say  now.  It  has  more 
of  danger  in  it,  and  boys  like  to  hear  anything 
in  the  way  of  adventure." 

Hans  looked  up  and  smiled.  His  father 
knew  him  well.  He  was  a  daring  lad.  He 
was  always  longing  for  the  time  when  he 
should  grow  up  and  be  a  soldier,  and  possibly 
take  part  in  some  war. 

"  Children,"  their  father  went  on,  "  you 
have  all  heard  of  divers  and  of  their  dangerous 
work  under  the  sea.  Gretchen  was  telling  me 
the  other  day  about  her  geography  lesson,  and 
of  the  pearl-divers  along  the  shores  of  India. 
I    did    not    tell    her    then    that    some    men 


What  the  Waves  Bring        91 

spend  their  lives  diving  for  amber  on  the 
shores  of  our  own  country. 

"  They  wear  rubber  suits  and  helmets  and 
air-chests  of  sheet  iron." 

"  How  can  they  see  where  they  are  going?  " 
asked  Bertha. 

"  There  are  glass  openings  in  their  helmets, 
and  they  can  look  through  these.  They  go 
out  in  boats.  The  crew  generally  consists  of 
six  men.  Two  of  them  are  divers,  and  four 
men  have  charge  of  the  air-pumps.  These 
pumps  force  fresh  air  down  through  tubes 
fastened  to  the  helmet  of  each  diver.  Besides 
these  men  there  is  an  overseer  who  has  charge 
of  everything. 

"  Sometimes  the  divers  stay  for  hours  on 
the  bed  of  the  sea,  and  work  away  at  the 
amber  tangles." 

"  But  suppose  anything  happens  to  the  air- 
tubes  and  the  men  fail  to  get  as  much  air  as 
they  need  ?  "  said  Hans.     "  Is  there  any  way 


92      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

of  letting  those  in  the  boat  know  they  are  in 
trouble  ?  And,  besides  that,  how  do  the 
others  know  when  it  is  time  to  raise  the 
divers  with  their  precious  loads  ?  " 

"  There  is  a  safety-rope  reaching  from  the 
boat  to  the  men.  When  they  pull  this  rope 
it  is  a  sign  that  they  wish  to  be  drawn  up. 
But  I  have  told  you  as  much  about  amber 
now  as   you  will  be  able  to  remember." 

"Are  you  very  tired,  father  dear?"  said 
Bertha,  in  her  most  coaxing  tone. 

"  Why  should  I  be  tired  ?  What  do  you 
wish  to  ask  me  ?  Come,  speak  out  plainly, 
little  one." 

"  You  tell  such  lovely  fairy-tales,  papa,  I 
was  just  wishing  for  one.  See  !  The  moon 
is  just  rising  above  the  tree-tops.  It  is  the 
very  time  for  stories  of  the  wonderful  beings." 

Her  father  smiled.  "It  shall  be  as  you 
wish,  Bertha.  It  is  hard  to  refuse  you  when 
you  look  at  me    that  way.      Come,  children, 


What  the  Waves  Bring        93 

let  us  sit  in  the  doorway.  Goodwife,  put 
down  your  work  and  join  us  while  I  tell 
the  story  of  Siegfried,  the  old  hero  of 
Germany." 


CHAPTER    IX. 


THE    MAGIC    SWORD 


Far  away  in  the  long  ago  there  lived  a 
mighty  king  with  his  goodwife  and  his  brave 
son,  Siegfried.  Their  home  was  at  Xanten, 
where  the  river  Rhine  flows  lazily  along. 

The  young  prince  was  carefully  taught. 
But  when  his  education  was  nearly  finished, 
his  father  said : 

"  Siegfried,  there  is  a  mighty  smith  named 
Mimer.  It  will  be  well  for  you  to  learn  all 
you  can  of  him  in  regard  to  the  making  of 
arms." 

So  Siegfried  went  to  work  at  the  trade  of 
a  smith.  It  was  not  long  before  he  excelled 
his  teacher.  This  pleased  Mimer,  who  spent 
many  spare  hours  with  his  pupil,  telling  him 
stories  of  the  olden  times. 

94 


The  Magic  Sword  95 

After  awhile,  he  took  Siegfried  into  his 
confidence.     He  said  : 

"  There  is  a  powerful  knight  in  Burgundy 
who  has  challenged  every  smith  of  my  coun- 
try to  make  a  weapon  strong  enough  to  pierce 
his  coat  of  mail. 

"  I  long  to  try,"  Mimer  went  on,  "  but  I 
am  now  old  and  have  not  strength  enough  to 
use  the  heavy  hammer." 

At  these  words  Siegfried  jumped  up  in 
great  excitement. 

"  I  will  make  the  sword,  dear  master,"  he 
cried.  "  Be  of  good  cheer.  It  shall  be  strong 
enough  to  cut  the  knight's  armour  in  two." 

Early  the  next  morning,  Siegfried  began 
his  work.  For  seven  days  and  seven  nights 
the  constant  ringing  of  his  hammer  could  be 
heard.  At  the  end  of  that  time  Siegfried 
came  to  his  master  with  a  sword  of  the  finest 
steel  in  his  right  hand. 

Mimer  looked  it  all  over.     He  then  held 


96      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

it  in  a  stream  of  running  water  in  which  he 
had  thrown  a  fine  thread.  The  water  carried 
the  thread  against  the  edge  of  the  sword, 
where  it  was  cut  in  two. 

Cf  It  is  without  a  fault,"  cried  Mimer  with 
delight. 

"  I  can  do  better  than  that,"  answered 
Siegfried,  and  he  took  the  sword  and  broke 
it  into  pieces. 

Again  he  set  to  work.  For  seven  more 
days  and  seven  more  nights  he  was  busy  at 
his  forge.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  brought 
a  polished  sword  to  his  master. 

Mimer  looked  it  over  with  the  greatest  care 
and  made  ready  to  test  it. 

He  threw  the  fleeces  of  twelve  sheep  into 
the  stream.  The  current  carried  them  on  its 
bosom  to  Siegfried's  sword.  Instantly,  each 
piece  was  divided  as  it  met  the  blade.  Mimer 
shouted  aloud  in  his  joy. 

"  Balmung  "  (for  that  was  the  name  Siegfried 


The  Magic  Sword  97 

gave  the  sword)  "  is  the  finest  weapon  man  ever 
made,"  he  cried. 

Siegfried  was  now  prepared  to  meet  the 
proud  knight  of  Burgundy. 

The  very  first  thrust  of  the  sword,  Bal- 
mung,  did  the  work.  The  head  and  shoulders 
of  the  giant  were  severed  from  the  rest  of  the 
body.  They  rolled  down  the  hillside  and  fell 
into  the  Rhine,  where  they  can  be  seen  even 
now,  when  the  water  is  clear.  At  least,  so 
runs  the  story.  The  trunk  remained  on  the 
hilltop  and  was  turned  to  stone. 

Soon  after  this  Mimer  found  that  Siegfried 
longed  to  see  the  world  and  make  himself 
famous.  So  he  bound  the  sword  Balmung 
to  the  young  prince's  side,  and  told  him  to 
seek  a  certain  person,  who  would  give  him  a 
fine  war-horse. 

Siegfried  went  to  this  man,  from  whom  he 
obtained  a  matchless  steed.  In  fact  it  had 
descended  from  the  great   god  Odin's    magic 


98      Our  Little  German  Cousin 

horse.  Siegfried,  you  can  see,  must  have 
lived  in  a  time  when  men  believed  in  gods 
and  other  wonderful  beings. 

He  was  now  all  ready  for  his  adventures, 
but  before  starting  out,  Mimer  told  him  of 
a  great  treasure  of  gold  guarded  by  a  fearful 
serpent.  This  treasure  was  spread  out  over  a 
plain  called  the  Glittering  Heath.  No  man 
had  yet  been  able  to  take  it,  because  of  its 
terrible  guardian. 

Siegfried  was  not  in  the  least  frightened  by 
the  stories  he  heard  of  the  monster.  He 
started  out  on  his  dangerous  errand  with  a 
heart  full  of  courage. 

At  last,  he  drew  near  the  plain.  He  could 
see  it  on  the  other  side  of  the  Rhine,  from  the 
hilltop  where  he  was  standing.  With  no  one 
to  help  him,  not  even  taking  his  magic  horse 
with  him,  he  hurried  down  the  hillside  and 
sprang  into  a   boat   on   the   shore. 

An  old  man  had  charge  of  the  boat,  and  as 


The  Magic  Sword  99 

he  rowed  Siegfried  across,  he  gave  him  good 
advice.  This  old  man,  as  it  happened,  was 
the  god  Odin,  who  loved  Siegfried  and  wished 
to  see  him  succeed. 

"  Dig  a  deep  trench  along  the  path  the 
serpent  has  worn  on  his  way  to  the  river  when 
in  search  of  water,"  said  the  old  boatman. 
"  Hide  yourself  in  the  trench,  and,  as  the 
serpent  passes  along,  you  must  thrust  your 
sword  deep  into  his   body." 

It  was  good  advice.  Siegfried  did  as  Odin 
directed  him.  He  went  to  work  on  the  trench 
at  once.  It  was  soon  finished,  and  then  the 
young  prince,  sword  in  hand,  was  lying  in 
watch  for  the  dread  monster. 

He  did  not  have  long  to  wait.  He  soon 
heard  the  sound  of  rolling  stones.  Then 
came  a  loud  hiss,  and  immediately  afterward 
he  felt  the  serpent's  fiery  breath  on  his  cheek. 

And  now  the  serpent  rolled  over  into  the 
ditch,  and  Siegfried  was  covered  by  the  folds 


ioo    Our  Little  German  Cousin 

of  his  huge  body.  He  did  not  fear  or  falter. 
He  thrust  Balmung,  his  wonderful  sword, 
deep  into  the  monster's  body.  The  blood 
poured  forth  in  such  torrents  that  the  ditch 
began  to  fill  fast. 

It  was  a  time  of  great  danger  for  Siegfried. 
He  would  have  been  drowned  if  the  serpent 
in  his  death-agony  had  not  rolled  over  on 
one  side  and  given  him  a  chance  to  free 
himself. 

In  a  moment  more  he  was  standing,  safe 
and  sound,  by  the  side  of  the  ditch.  His 
bath  in  the  serpent's  blood  had  given  him  a 
great  blessing.  Hereafter  it  would  be  impos- 
sible for  any  one  to  wound  him  except  in 
one  tiny  place  on  his  shoulder.  A  leaf  had 
fallen  on  this  spot,  and  the  blood  had  not 
touched  it. 

"  What  did  Siegfried  do  with  the  golden 
treasure  ?  "  asked  Hans,  when  his  father  had 
reached  this  point  in  the  story. 


The  Magic  Sword  101 

"  He  had  not  sought  it  for  himself,  but 
for  Mimer's  sake.  All  he  cared  for  was  the 
power  of  killing  the  serpent." 

As  soon  as  this  was  done,  Mimer  drew  near 
and  showed  himself  ungrateful  and  untrue. 
He  was  so  afraid  Siegfried  would  claim  some 
of  the  treasure  that  he  secretly  drew  Balmung 
from  out  the  serpent's  body,  and  made  ready 
to  thrust  it  into  Siegfried. 

But  at  that  very  moment  his  foot  slipped  in 
the  monster's  blood,  and  he  fell  upon  the 
sword  and  was  instantly  killed. 

Siegfried  was  filled  with  horror  when  he  saw 
what  had  happened.  He  sprang  upon  his 
horse's  back  and  fled  as  fast  as  possible  from 
the  dreadful  scene. 

"  What  happened  to  Siegfried  after  that  ? 
Did  he  have  any  more  adventures  ?  "  asked 
Bertha. 

"Yes,  indeed.  There  were  enough  to  fill 
a  book.     But  there  is  one  in  particular  you 


102    Our  Little  German  Cousin 

girls  would  like  to  hear.  It  is  about  a  beauti- 
ful princess  whom  he  freed  from  a  spell  which 
had  been  cast  upon  her." 

"  What  was  her  name,  papa  ?  "  asked 
Gretchen. 

"  Brunhild,  the  Queen  of  Isenland.  She 
had  been  stung  by  the  thorn  of  sleep." 

Odin,  the  great  god,  had  said,  "  Brunhild 
shall  not  awake  till  some  hero  is  brave  enough 
to  fight  his  way  through  the  flames  which 
shall  constantly  surround  the  palace.  He 
must  then  go  to  the  side  of  the  sleeping 
maiden  and  break  the  charm  by  a  kiss  upon 
her  forehead." 

When  Siegfried,  in  his  wanderings,  heard 
the  story  of  Brunhild,  he  said,  "  I  will  make 
my  way  through  the  flames  and  will  myself 
rescue  the  fair  princess." 

He  leaped  upon  the  back  of  his  magic 
steed,  and  together  they  fought  their  way 
through  the   fire   that   surrounded   the   palace 


The  Magic  Sword  103 

of  the  sleeping  beauty.  He  reached  the  gates 
in  safety.  There  was  no  sign  of  life  about  the 
place.  Every  one  was  wrapped  in  a  deep 
sleep. 

Siegfried  made  his  way  to  the  room  of  the 
enchanted  princess.  Ah  !  there  she  lay,  still 
and  beautiful,  with  no  knowledge  of  what  was 
going  on  around  her. 

The  young  knight  knelt  by  her  side. 
Leaning  over  her,  he  pressed  a  kiss  upon  her 
forehead.  She  moved  slightly  ;  then,  opening 
her  blue  eyes,  she  smiled  sweetly  upon  her 
deliverer. 

At  the  same  moment  every  one  else  in  the 
palace  woke  up  and  went  on  with  whatever 
had  been  interrupted  when  sleep  overcame 
them. 

Siegfried  remained  for  six  months  with  the 
fair  Brunhild  and  her  court.  Every  day  was 
given  up  to  music  and  feasting,  games  and 
songs.     Time  passed  like  a  beautiful  dream. 


104    Our  Little  German  Cousin 

No  one  knows  how  long  the  young  knight 
might  have  enjoyed  this  happy  life  if  Odin 
had  not  sent  two  birds,  Thought  and  Mem- 
ory, to  remind  him  there  were  other  things  for 
him  yet  to  do. 

He  did  not  stop  to  bid  Brunhild  farewell, 
but  leaped  upon  his  horse's  back  and  rode 
away  in  search  of  new  adventures. 

"  Dear  me,  children,"  exclaimed  their  father, 
looking  at  the  clock,  "  it  is  long  past  the  time 
you    should   be  in   your   soft,  warm   beds." 

"  Papa,  do  you  know  what  day  to-morrow 
is  ? "  whispered  Bertha,  as  she  kissed  him 
good  night. 

"  My  darling  child's  birthday.  It  is  ten 
years  to-morrow  since  your  eyes  first  looked 
upon  the  sunlight.  They  have  been  ten 
happy  years  to  us  all,  though  our  lives  are  full 
of  work.  What  do  you  say  to  that,  my  little 
one?" 

"  Very  happy,  papa  dear.     You  and  mother 


The  Magic  Sword  105 

are  so  kind  !  I  ought  to  be  good  as  well 
as  happy." 

"  She  is  a  faithful  child,"  said  her  mother, 
after  Bertha  had  left  the  room.  "  That  is  why 
I  have  a  little  surprise  ready  for  to-morrow. 
I  have  baked  a  large  birthday  cake  and  shall 
ask  her  little  friends  to  share  it  with  her. 

"  Her  aunt  has  finished  the  new  dress  I 
bought  for  her,  and  I  have  made  two  white 
aprons,  besides.  She  will  be  a  happy  child 
when  she  sees  her  presents." 

The  mother  closed  her  eyes  and  made  a 
silent  prayer  to  the  All-Father  that  Bertha's 
life  should  be  as  joyful  as  her  tenth  birthday 
gave  promise  of  being. 

THE    END. 


THE  LITTLE  COUSIN  SERIES 


The  most  delightful  and  interesting  accounts  possible 
of  child  life  in  other  lands,  filled  with  quaint  sayings, 
doings,  and  adventures. 

Each  one  vol.,  1 2mo,  decorative  cover,  cloth,  with  six  or  more 
full-page  illustrations  in  color. 

Price  per  volume $0.60 

By    MARY     HAZELTON      WADE     (unless     otherwise 
indicated) 

Our  Little  African  Cousin         Our  Little  Irish  Cousin 

Our  Little  Alaskan  Cousin        Our  Little  Italian  Cousin 

By  Mary  F.  Nixon -Roulet    Qur  y^  Japanese  Cousin 


Our  Little  Arabian  Cousin 

By  Blanche  McManus 

Our  Little  Armenian  Cousin 
Our  Little  Brown  Cousin 
Our  Little  Canadian  Cousin 


Our  Little  Jewish  Cousin 

Our  Little  Korean  Cousin 

By  H.  Lee  M.  Pike 

Our  Little  Mexican  Cousin 

By  Edward  C.  Butler 


By  Elizabeth  R.  Macdonald    Qur  Little  Norwegian  Cousin 


Our  Little  Chinese  Cousin 

By  Isaac  Taylor  Headland 

Our  Little  Cuban  Cousin 

Our  Little  Dutch  Cousin 

By  Blanche  McManus 

Our  Little  English  Cousin 

By  Blanche  McManus 

Our  Little  Eskimo  Cousin 

Oar  Little  French  Cousin 

By  Blanche  McManus 

Our  Little  German  Cousin 
Our  Little  Hawaiian  Cousin 

Our  Little  Hindu  Cousin 

By  Blanche  McManus 

Our  Little  Indian  Cousin 
A  — 1 


Our  Little  Panama  Cousin 

By  H.  Lee  M.  Pike 

Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 
Our  Little  Porto  Rican  Cousin 
Our  Little  Russian  Cousin 

Our  Little  Scotch  Cousin 

By  Blanche  McManus 

Our  Little  Siamese  Cousin 

Our  Little  Spanish  Cousin 

By  Mary  F.  Nixon -Roulet 

Our  Little  Swedish  Cousin 

By  Claire  M.  Coburn 

Our  Little  Swiss  Cousin 
Our  Little  Turkish  Cousin 


THE  GOLDENROD  LIBRARY 


The  Goldenrod  Library  contains  stories  which  appeal 
alike  both  to  children  and  to  their  parents  and  guardians. 

Each  volume  is  well  illustrated  from  drawings  by 
competent  artists,  which,  together  with  their  handsomely 
decorated  uniform  binding,  showing  the  goldenrod, 
usually  considered  the  emblem  of  America,  is  a  feature 
of  their  manufacture. 

Each  one  volume,  small  1 2mo,  illustrated         .         .    $0.35 


LIST  OF  TITLES 

Aunt  Nabby's  Children.     By  Frances  Hodges  "White. 

Child's  Dream  of  a  Star,  The.    By  Charles  Dickens. 

Flight  of  Rosy  Dawn,  The.     By  Pauline  Bradford  Mackie. 

Findelkind.    By  Ouida. 

Fairy  of  the  Rhone,  The.     By  A.  Comyns  Carr. 

Gatty  and  I.     By  Frances  E.  Crompton. 

Helena's  Wonderworld.     By  Frances  Hodges  White. 

Jerry's  Reward.     By  Evelyn  Snead  Barnett. 

La  Belle  Nivernaise.    By  Alphonse  Daudet. 

Little  King  Davie.     By  Nellie  Hellis. 

Little  Peterkin  Vandike.     By  Charles  Stuart  Pratt. 

Little  Professor,  The.     By  Ida  Horton  Cash. 

Peggy's  Trial.     By  Mary  Knight  Potter. 

Prince  Yellowtop.     By  Kate  Whiting  Patch. 

Provence  Rose,  A.    By  Ouida. 

Seventh  Daughter,  A.     By  Grace  Wickham  Curran. 

Sleeping  Beauty,  The.     By  Martha  Baker  Dunn. 

Small,  Small  Child,  A.    By  E.  Livingston  Prescott. 

Susanne.     By  Frances  J.  Delano. 

Water  People,  The.     By  Charles  Lee  Sleight. 

Young  Archer,  The.     By  Charles  E.  Brimblecom. 

A-2 


COSY  CORNER  SERIES 

It  is  the  intention  of  the  publishers  that  this  series  shall 
contain  only  the  very  highest  and  purest  literature, — 
stories  that  shall  not  only  appeal  to  the  children  them- 
selves, but  be  appreciated  by  all  those  who  feel  with 
them  in  their  joys  and  sorrows. 

The  numerous  illustrations  in  each  book  are  by  well-known 
artists,  and  each  volume  has  a  separate  attractive  cover 
design. 

Each  i  vol.,  i6mo,  cloth $o.5c 

By  ANNIE  FELLOWS  JOHNSTON 

The  Little  Colonel.   (Trade  Mark.) 

The  scene  of  this  story  is  laid  in  Kentucky.  Its  heroine 
is  a  small  girl,  who  is  known  as  the  Little  Colonel,  on 
account  of  her  fancied  resemblance  to  an  old-school  South- 
ern gentleman,  whose  fine  estate  and  old  family  are  famous 
in  the  region. 

The  Giant  Scissors. 

This  is  the  story  of  Joyce  and  of  her  adventures  in 
France.  Joyce  is  a  great  friend  of  the  Little  Colonel,  and 
in  later  volumes  shares  with  her  the  delightful  experiences 
of  the  "  House  Party  "  and  the  "  Holidays." 

Two  Little  Knights  of  Kentucky. 

Who  Were  the  Little  Colonel's  Neighbors. 

In  this  volume  the  Little  Colonel  returns  to  us  like  an 
old  friend,  but  with  added  grace  and  charm.  She  is  not, 
however,  the  central  figure  of  the  story,  that  place  being 
taken  by  the  "  two  little  knights." 

Mildred's  Inheritance. 

A  delightful  little  story  of  a  lonely  English  girl  who 
comes  to  America  and  is  befriended  by  a  sympathetic 
American  family  who  are  attracted  by  her  beautiful  speak- 
ing voice.  By  means  of  this  one  gift  she  is  enabled  to 
help  a  school-girl  who  has  temporarily  lost  the  use  of  her 
eyes,  and  thus  finally  her  life  becomes  a  busy,  happy  one. 

A  — 3 


I.   C.  PAGE   AND   COMPANY'S 


By  ANNIE  FELLOWS  JOHNSTON  (Continued) 

Cicely  and  Other  Stories  for  Girls. 

The  readers  of  Mrs.  Johnston's  charming  juveniles  will 
be  glad  to  learn  of  the  issue  of  this  volume  for  young 
people. 

Aunt  'Liza's  Hero  and  Other  Stories. 

A  collection  of  six  bright  little  stories,  which  will  appeal 
to  all  boys  and  most  girls. 

Big  Brother. 

A  story  of  two  boys.  The  devotion  and  care  of  Steven, 
himself  a  small  boy,  for  his  baby  brother,  is  the  theme  of 
the  simple  tale. 

Ole  Mammy's  Torment. 

"  Ole  Mammy's  Torment"  has  been  fitly  called  "  a  classic 
©f  Southern  life."  It  relates  the  haps  and  mishaps  of  a 
gmall  negro  lad,  and  tells  how  he  was  led  by  love  and  kind- 
ness to  a  knowledge  of  the  right. 

The  Story  of  Dago. 

In  this  story  Mrs.  Johnston  relates  the  story  of  Dago,  a 
pet  monkey,  owned  jointly  by  two  brothers.  Dago  tells 
his  own  story,  and  the  account  of  his  haps  and  mishaps  is 
both  interesting  and  amusing. 

The  Quilt  That  Jack  Built. 

A  pleasant  little  story  of  a  boy's  labor  of  love,  and  how 
It  changed  the  course  of  his  life  many  years  after  it  was 
accomplished. 

Flip's  Islands  of  Providence. 

A  story  of  a  boy's  life  battle,  his  early  defeat,  and  his 
final  triumph,  well  worth  the  reading. 
A—  4 


COSY  CORNER  SERIES 


By  EDITH  ROBINSON 

A  Little  Puritan's  First  Christmas. 

A  Story  of  Colonial  times  in  Boston,  telling  how 
Christmas  was  invented  by  Betty  Sewall,  a  typical  child 
of  the  Puritans,  aided  by  her  brother  Sam. 

A  Little  Daughter  of  Liberty. 

The  author  introduces  this  story  as  follows : 
"  One  ride  is  memorable  in  the  early  history  of  the 
American  Revolution,  the  well-known  ride  of  Paul 
Revere.  Equally  deserving  of  commendation  is  another 
ride,  —  the  ride  of  Anthony  Severn,  —  which  was  no  less 
historic  in  its  action  or  memorable  in  its  consequences." 

A  Loyal  Little  Maid. 

A  delightful  and  interesting  story  of  Revolutionary 
days,  in  which  the  child  heroine,  Betsey  Schuyler, 
renders  important  services  to  George  Washington. 

A  Little  Puritan  Rebel. 

This  is  an  historical  tale  of  a  real  girl,  during  the 
time  when  the  gallant  Sir  Harry  Vane  was  governor  of 
Massachusetts. 

A  Little  Puritan  Pioneer. 

The  scene  of  this  story  is  laid  in  the  Puritan  settle- 
ment at  Charlestown. 

A  Little  Puritan  Bound  Girl. 

A  story  of  Boston  in  Puritan  days,  which  is  of  great 
interest  to  youthful  readers. 

A  Little  Puritan  Cavalier. 

The  story  of  a  "  Little  Puritan  Cavalier "  who  tried 
with  all  his  boyish  enthusiasm  to  emulate  the  spirit  and 
ideals  of  the  dead  Crusaders. 

A  Puritan  Knight  Errant. 

The  story  tells  of  a  young  lad  in  Colonial  times  who 
endeavored  to  carry  out  the  high  ideals  of  the  knights 
of  olden  days. 
A- 5 


L.  C.  PAGE  AND  COMPANY'S 

By  OUIDA  {Louise  de  la  Ramie) 

A   Dog  Of   Flanders :  A  Christmas  Story. 
Too  well  and  favorably  known  to  require  description. 

The  Nurnberg  Stove. 

This  beautiful  story  has  never  before  been  published  at 
a  popular  price. 

By  FRANCES  MARGARET  FOX 

The  Little  Giant's  Neighbours. 

A  charming  nature  story  of  a  "  little  giant  "  whose  neigh* 
bours  were  the  creatures  of  the  field  and  garden. 

Farmer  Brown  and  the  Birds. 

A  little  story  which  teaches  children  that  the  birds  are 
man's  best  friends. 

Betty  of  Old  Mackinaw. 

A  charming  story  of  child-life,  appealing  especially  to 
the  little  readers  who  like  stories  of  "  real  people." 

Brother  Billy. 

The  story  of  Betty's  brother,  and  some  further  adven- 
tures of  Betty  herself. 

Mother  Nature's  Little  Ones. 

Curious  little  sketches  describing  the  early  lifetime,  or 
"  childhood,"  of  the  little  creatures  out-of-doors. 

How  Christmas    Came  to  the  Mul= 
vaneys. 

A  bright,  lifelike  little  story  of  a  family  of  poor  children, 
with  an  unlimited  capacity  for  fun  and  mischief.  The 
wonderful  never-to-be  forgotten  Christmas  that  came  to 
them  is  the  climax  of  a  series  of  exciting  incidents. 

A  — 6 


COSY  CORNER  SERIES 


By  MISS  MULOCK 

The  Little  Lame  Prince. 

A  delightful  story  of  a  little  boy  who  has  many  adven. 
tures  by  means  of  the  magic  gifts  of  his  fairy  godmother. 

Adventures  of  a  Brownie. 

The  story  of  a  household  elf  who  torments  the  cook  and 
gardener,  but  is  a  constant  joy  and  delight  to  the  children 
who  love  and  trust  him. 

:iis  Little  Mother. 

Miss  Mulock's  short  stories  for  children  are  a  constant 
source  of  delight  to  them,  and  "  His  Little  Mother,"  in  this 
new  and  attractive  dress,  will  be  welcomed  by  hosts  of 
youthful  readers. 

Little  Sunshine's  Holiday. 

An  attractive  story  of  a  summer  outing.  "  Little  Sun- 
shine "  is  another  of  those  beautiful  child-characters  for 
which  Miss  Mulock  is  so  justly  famous. 

By  MARSHALL   SAUNDERS 

For  His  Country. 

A  sweet  and  graceful  story  of  a  little  boy  who  loved  his 
country ;  written  with  that  charm  which  has  endeared  Miss 
Saunders  to  hosts  of  readers. 

Nita,  the  Story  of  an  Irish  Setter. 

In  this  touching  little  book,  Miss  Saunders  shows  how 
dear  to  her  heart  are  all  of  God's  dumb  creatures. 

Alpatok,  the  Story  of  an  Eskimo  Dog. 

Alpatok,  an  Eskimo  dog  from  the  far  north,  was  stolen 
from  his  master  and  left  to  starve  in  a  strange  city,  but  was 
befriended  and  cared  for,  until  he  was  able  to  return  to  his 
owner.  Miss  Saunders's  story  is  based  on  truth,  and  the 
pictures  in  the  book  of  "  Alpatok  "  are  based  on  a  photo- 
graph of  the  real  Eskimo  dog  who  had  such  a  strange  ex- 
perience. 

A  —  1 


L.   C.   PAGE  AND   COMPANY'S 


By  WILL  ALLEN  DROMGOOLE 

The  Farrier's  Dog  and  His  Fellow. 

This  story,  written  by  the  gifted  young  Southern  woman, 
will  appeal  to  all  that  is  best  in  the  natures  of  the  many 
admirers  of  her  graceful  and  piquant  style. 

The  Fortunes  of  the  Fellow. 

Those  who  read  and  enjoyed  the  pathos  and  charm  of 
"  The  Farrier's  Dog  and  Kis  Fellow "  will  welcome  the 
further  account  of  the  adventures  of  Baydaw  and  the  Fel- 
low at  the  home  of  the  kindly  smith. 

The  Best  of  Friends. 

This  continues  the  experiences  of  the  Farrier's  dog  and 
his  Fellow,  written  in  Miss  Dromgoole's  well-known  charm- 
ing style. 

Down  in  Dixie. 

A  fascinating  story  for  boys  and  girls,  of  a  family  of  Ala- 
bama children  who  move  to  Florida  and  grow  up  in  the 
South. 


By  MARIAN  W.   WILDMAN 

Loyalty  Island. 

An  account  of  the  adventures  of  four  children  and  then 
pet  dog  on  an  island,  and  how  they  cleared  their  brother 
from  the  suspicion  of  dishonesty. 

Theodore  and  Theodora. 

This  is  a  story  of  the  exploits  and  mishaps  of  two  mis- 
enievous  twins,  and  continues  the  adventures  of  the  interest 
ing  group  of  children  in  "  Loyalty  Island." 

A— 8 


COSY  CORNER   SERIES 


By  CHARLES  G.  D.  ROBERTS 

The  Cruise  of  the  Yacht  Dido. 

The  story  of  two  boys  who  turned  their  yacht  into  a 
fishing  boat  to  earn  money  to  pay  for  a  college  course, 
and  of  their  adventures  while  exploring  in  search  of 
hidden  treasure. 

The  Young  Acadian. 

The  story  of  a  young  lad  of  Acadia  who  rescued  a 
little  English  girl  from  the  hands  of  savages. 

The  Lord  of  the  Air. 

The  Story  of  the  Eagle 

The  King  of  the  Mamozekel. 

The  Story  of  the  Moose 

The  Watchers  of  the  Camp=fire. 

The  Story  of  the  Panther 

The  Haunter  of  the  Pine  Gloom. 

The  Story  of  the  Lynx 

The  Return  to  the  Trails. 

The  Story  of  the  Bear 

The  Little  People  of  the  Sycamore. 

The  Story  of  the  Raccoon 

By  OTHER  AUTHORS 

The  Great  Scoop. 

By  MOLLY  ELLIOT  SEA  WELL 

A  capital  tale  of  newspaper  life  in  a  big  city,  and 
of  a  bright,  enterprising,  likable  youngster  employed 
thereon. 

John  Whopper. 

The  late  Bishop  Clark's  popular  story  of  the  boy  who 
fell  through  the  earth   and  came  out  in  China,  with  a 
new  introduction  by  Bishop  Potter. 
A-9 


L.     C.  PAGE   AND    COMPANY'S 


The  Dole  Twins. 

By  KA  TE  UPSON  CLARK 

The  adventures  of  two  little  people  who  tried  to  earn 
money  to  buy  crutches  for  a  lame  aunt.  An  excellent 
description  of  child-life  about  1812,  which  will  greatly 
interest  and  amuse  the  children  of  to-day,  whose  life  is 
widely  different. 

Larry  Hudson's  Ambition. 

By  JAMES  OTIS,  author  of  "Toby  Tyler,"  etc. 

Larry  Hudson  is  a  typical  American  boy,  whose  hard 
work  and  enterprise  gain  him  his  ambition,  —  an  education 
and  a  start  in  the  world. 

The  Little  Christmas  Shoe. 

By  JANE  P.  SCOTT  WOODRUFF 
A  touching  story  of  Yule-tide. 

Wee  Dorothy. 

By  LAURA   UPDEGRAFF 

A  story  of  two  orphan  children,  the  tender  devotion  of 
the  eldest,  a  boy,  for  his  sister  being  its  theme  and  setting. 
With  a  bit  of  sadness  at  the  beginning,  the  story  is  other- 
wise bright  and  sunny,  and  altogether  wholesome  in  every 
way. 

The  King  of  the  Golden  River:  a  legend 

of  Stiria.     By  JOHN  RUSK  IN 

Written  fifty  years  or  more  ago,  and  not  originally  in- 
tended for  publication,  this  little  fairy-tale  soon  became 
known  and  made  a  place  for  itself. 

A  Child's  Garden  of  Verses. 

By  R.  L.  STEVENSON 

Mr.  Stevenson's  little  volume  is  too  well  known  to  need 
description.  It  will  be  heartily  welcomed  in  this  new  and 
attractive  edition. 

A— 10 


■* 


